THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM JOURNAL. 
63 
pasturage, and that they do not extend their 
rambles to the growing plants in the aquarium. 
The coil-shells are the best and least voracious 
of this tribe, and many of the mud shells may 
be safely introduced. The large mud-shell 
(Limneus stagnalis ) is a dangerous fellow, and 
loves nothing better than a salad of valisneria. 
When vegetation is too rank in an aquarium, 
one or two of these fellows will soon clear it off, 
but they must be removed before the whole is 
devoured. The beautiful and common marsh- 
shells, the fresh water mussel of boih kinds, the 
swan mussel, and the pearl mussel, should be 
in every good collection; and as they lie at the 
bottom on the clean bright sand, they look very 
pretty, and have their use assigned to them in 
the colon)'. 
We will now, however, imagine ourselves at 
the sea-side, anxious to preserve and bring home 
some ol the living treasures we have gazed at in 
the rocky pools at low-tide, but which, on being 
ruthlessly pulled out of their natural element, 
have withered and died in a few houfs. Even 
the sea-weeds that we collect without injuring or 
disturbing the roots, droop, and look quite dif¬ 
ferent in our basket, or when spread out on 
paper, from what they did when floating out in 
the pool of water, every frond extended, and 
seeming to give out sparkles of oxygen. Rather 
than run the risk ol losing these pretty green 
and red weeds so essential to our aquarium_ 
Coral and sea-fan and tangle, the blooms and the 
palms of the ocean,— 
We gently raise the stones on which they grow, 
or, with a hammer and chisel, chip off some 
bits of covered rock, and at once carry them to 
our glass vase or tank, basin or loot-bath, and 
settle them in a bed of shore-sand with some 
shells and bits of rock. Take care that there be 
as little as possible on your bits of rock beside 
the weed itstl. Scrape off any small adherent 
sponges, see that jkhww. 1 ms made ih>ck 
tune-homes among the v»bed-stems ; if they have, 
drag them out, lor they will assuredly die, and 
as surely poison the water with sulphuretted 
hydrogen, blackness, and evil smells. 
In a few days, when the water is clear and you 
feel sure of your vegetation, begin to make 
choice of your tenants. In the crannies of the 
rocks you will find sea-anemones (Actinia); and 
a dozen of these are sufficient to turn your glass 
vessel into a most brilliant living flower-garden. 
Hanging upon the under ledges of rocks, they 
look like mere lumps of jelly, but of divers col¬ 
ors, Take them from their piece of rock if you 
can without injuring them, by slipping your fin¬ 
ger under them, or any blunt instrument; if 
this fail to remove them, try, if possible, to knock 
away the bit of stone to which they are attached, 
and so carry them off bodily in your basket of 
wet sea-weed. When you get them home, put 
them into a dishful of fresh sea water, and leave 
them for the night. Next morning, what a 
change 1 The dull lumps of jelly have taken 
root and flowered during the night, and your 
dish is a garden full of the most beautiful and 
delicate-colored sea-chrysanthemums, crimson, 
pink, purple and orange. Touch one and it 
shrinks away, showing nothing but a row of blue 
turquoise-like beads around its top or mouth, at 
the root of the petal-like tentacles it has with¬ 
drawn. ' This is Mesembryanthemum, the com¬ 
monest of all the sea-anemones, and to be found 
on most of our coasts. Others there are more 
gorgeous than he—some like quilled dahlias of 
all shades of color. Crassicornis is a large, vari¬ 
ously colored anemone ; and these two are suffi¬ 
cient to give much variety and interest to the 
aquarium ; but the more delicate and rarer va¬ 
rieties will repay for a search ; the beautiful 
Anthca, with its long hanging languid-looking 
filaments, which it never wholly retracts within 
its body; the Beilis, or Sea-daisy, common on 
the south coast of England ; and the lovely rose 
and white Dianthus , which is often brought up 
in the dredge adhering to oyster shells or bits of 
rock. On the whole, however, (unless an aqua¬ 
rium be specially set apart for the purpose), we 
believe it is best not to introduce creatures that 
live in the deep sea, but rather to confine the 
collection to such as inhabit the shore between 
the tide marks. When your anemones have 
lived in their probationary dish for a day or two, 
carefully transfer the most healthy-looking to 
your aquarium, settling them as well as you can 
on a stone or bit of rock by means of your wood¬ 
en forceps or a bit of stick. We once kept a 
common crimson-bodied anemone, with a row 
of wonderful bright blue spots like 1 celestial 
eyes,’ for several years, and had the satisfaction 
of seeing it bud and throw off innumerable tiny 
anemones during that time ; none of which, 
however, lived to attain maturity. 
A few tiny star fishes are pretty in an aquarium; 
not the coarse, five-fingered fellows with yellow 
bodies, but the beautiful little rose-colored Aste- 
rias, which may be found in rock pools for the 
seeking. Then you want a scavenger in the 
shape of a tiny crab, who will gemly run about 
and eat up all decaying bits ot food, and hide 
himself under the rocks when satisfied. Do not 
trust to a hermit crab ; he is too fussy and rest¬ 
less for an aquarium, and tears up the plants 
and scuffles about to the discomfort of the other 
inhabitants. He is very amusing, indeed, when 
not expected to submit to the rules of civilized 
aquarium-life. Put him into a basin of water 
with another of his kind, having gently taken 
both out of their appropriated shells, and leave 
one shell in the water for them to quarrel for. 
It is the funniest sight in the world to watch 
their manoeuvres and stratagems to secure the 
shell—the way in which first one and then the 
other will insert his naked tail into the coveted 
shell, as if ashamed of being discovered in un¬ 
dress, is not to be forgotten. But this amuse¬ 
ment cannot be caided on in a ••espeef Tie aqua- 
j V" ■ ,:i, .fo. :u r 
shore crab wiiii a dingy rfisset coat, very flat, 
and able to fold himselt up into a compact little 
object at any moment, and lie still and unob¬ 
served in any crack or cranny of the colony. 
Snails are as essential in a marine as in a fresh 
water tank, and there are many varieties with 
pretty shells which will do the work you want 
them for, skillfully and surely. The green film 
which gathers on the sides of your glass, can, as 
we have already shown, be removed by rubbing 
it yourself; but it is best to set three or four live 
shejls to do it for you, 1 to keep your subaque¬ 
ous lawn closely mown.’ A few shrimps or 
prawns, with their transparent bodies and swift, 
active movements, are desirable to secure ; only 
keep your eye on them, for they have a way of 
retiring under stones to die without giving any 
signs of their intention, and then giving off bad 
gases and poisoning the water. 
Of all things, beware of over-stocking a ma¬ 
rine aquarium. It bears that process less readily 
than does fresh water, and is more difficult to 
renew. Heat and dust are the great difficulties 
to contend with. If once the water should be¬ 
come hot by exposure to the sun, it is all over 
with your pets. Yet they must have light, for 
without it the weeds would not grow ; so the 
only thing to be done is to have a sort of shade 
or curtain which can be regulated according to 
the light and heat of your situation. Be careful 
to use the syringe daily, so as to pump oxygen 
into the water, and prevent any dust trom gath¬ 
ering at the top. 
We know how much pleasure such a collec¬ 
tion as we have described is capable of giving at 
the sea-side; how it adds to the interest of the 
sea-shore rambles, and beguiles many a wet day 
in-doors. We also know the difficulty of mov¬ 
ing the collection up to town ; but it can be 
done by means of separate jars, and cans, and 
bottles of sea water, and soon re-established in 
the midst of the murkiest atmosphere. More¬ 
over, all that we have described — weeds, water 
and animals— can be purchased and established 
in an aquarium by those who never go to the 
coast at all. We have seen in a large shop ex¬ 
pressly for the sale of ‘aquarium stores,’ curiosi¬ 
ties and treasures unknown to our coasts, which 
live and thrive well, we are told, in many pri¬ 
vate aquaria, where temperature is carefully ob¬ 
served and great care given to all arrangements. 
For the fresh water aquarium we saw many col¬ 
ored spotted water-newts—salamanders they are 
called—whose native climate is a warm one, and 
who shed their skins curiously during the year, 
and cast off their four and five fingered gloves 
perfect as a model. Then for salt water, we saw 
a vase full of. pretty little Sea-horses (Hippocampi), 
with horses’ heads and curly tails ; corallines of 
brilliant hue ; serpulae of bright rose color; and 
other zoophytes innumerable. But these exotic 
treasures are only for those who can afford them, 
and probably do not yield so much real pleasure 
to the possessors as can be gained from the asso¬ 
ciations which naturally arise when we recognize 
the old friends of our childhood in the ‘ sea’s 
abundant progeny,’ and recall the scenes and 
days when first we learned that a visit to the sea¬ 
side does not lose its interest when it is over, 
but may be prolonged through winter frosts and 
snows, and in the midst of city bricks and mor¬ 
tar.— P. L., in Chambers’ Journal. 
Fish Culturists at the Aquarium. 
The sixth annual meeting of the American 
Fish Culturists’ Association, was held in the 
Library of the Aquarium on the i 4 th and 15th 
of Februa r y. In many respects this meeting 
was one of the most interesting and significant 
of any of the annual conventions. The associa¬ 
tion was presided over by Hon. Robert B. 
Roosivsr.T and that gentleman in. his open 
address gave to tne member? and tue pit 
succinct history ot the progress and present status 
of fish cu'ture. 
Among the many distinguished gentlemen 
pre-ent were ; Prof. Spencer F. Baird of Wash¬ 
ington, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution 
and United States Fish Commissioner; Prof. J. 
VI. Milner of the Smithsonian Institution ; Mr. 
Samuel Wilmot of the Fish Commission of Can¬ 
ada ; Mr. William M. Hudson of the Fish Com¬ 
mission of Connecticut; Mr. T. B. Ferguson of 
the Fish Commission of Maryland ; Mr. M. 
Walheim of the Fish Commission of Norway ; 
Mr. Livingston Stone of California; Mr. Seth 
Green, Superintendent of the New York State 
Hatching-house ; Mr. Charles B. Evarts of Ver¬ 
mont.; Mr. B. B. Porter of New Jersey ; Mr. C. 
J. Battemanne, Superintendent of the Fisheries 
in Holland ; Mr. Charles Hallock ; Mr. W. M. 
Tileston and Mr. J. J. Van Wyck of New York; 
Mr. B. B. Phillips of Brooklyn ; Mr. F. Mather 
of New York, and Mr. M. C. Edmunds, Secre¬ 
tary, and E. G. Blackford, Treasurer of the 
Association. The interest manifested by the 
members in the Aquarium and especially in the 
fish-hatching department, was marked and grat¬ 
ifying, and the efforts put forth by Mr. Coup to 
promote their comfort and convenience were 
gratefully appreciated. For a full report of the 
proceedings, including the valuable papers lead, 
we refer to the official organs and reports of 
the society. 
-- O - 
The attention of the visitors to the Aquarium 
is specially directed to the collection of mam¬ 
moth alligators, now occupying the whale tank 
and to the bottle-nose seal, which is a close cap¬ 
tive in the open tank to the right of deep sea 
tank No. 36. 
