THE NEW YORE AQUARIUM JOURNAL. 
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FACTS AND FANCIES ABOUT FISH. 
THAT MISCHIEVOUS YOUNG OTTER. 
FOR OUR YOUNG FOLKS. 
TOLD BY UNCLE OCTOPUS. 
BY MARGARET EYTINGE. 
You are behind hand my young' friends this 
month, and that is why the compositions on 
sea-anemones will not be published till the next 
number. Your Uncle Octopus has recei ved 
two or three very goo?flt?ffi^Wions about these ji 
wonderful little creatures, and yet there is a 
chance for a better one still and a little more 
time is left, so those of you who mean to try for 
the prizes can have a week more to do it in, and 
the compositions must be ready before the 15 th 
of May. They must be written by a boy or girl 
who is not over twelve years old, and they must 
not be longer than two hundred words ; the 
best ones will be published in this Journal and 
prizes will be given for them. Now hurry up, for 
we are all waiting to hear from you. And now 
I have some news for you. Socn we hope to 
have in the Aquarium a real living Octopus, 
and when you read in the papers that it has 
come you must all hurry to see it; look at it 
well and see if it looks like the picture of your 
affectionate uncle which is here shown, and then 
examine it carefully and ask questions about it 
and remember all you see and hear, so that 
when you are asked to write a composition about 
it you can do so at once. 
While you are waiting for the Octopus to 
come, you can go to the Aquarium and see the 
beautiful Japanese fish, whose picture is given 
in the page before this; you will see that it has a 
tail like the beautiful Kingiyo and in addition 
two stalks coming out from the sides of its head, 
and in the top of these stalks are the eyes. These 
are the most beautiful and strange fish that were 
ever at the Aquarium and this came all the way 
from Japan. They have a queer name also, 
Ling-Tsing-Yu, and there is only one thing 
funnier than the name and that is the fish them¬ 
selves. Perhaps some oi you have seen gold 
fish with three tails, if so, write and tell us all 
about it, for nothing is more welcome than let¬ 
ters from friends and no one enjoys them better 
than your affectionate Uncle Octopus, 
The otter left his tank one day 
And all around went running, 
Pretending it was only play 
And lie was only funning. 
He threw the lobsters on the floor 
And ate a fat sea-raven. 
Quoth he, “ I had to do it, for 
I felt a great fish-cravin’.” 
Then in the trough where trout are hatched 
Awhile he played the squatter, 
Though sleepy Alice Gaitor said 
“You know you shouldn’t, otter !” 
Next on the crabs he made a call. 
“We’re out,” they cried, much flurried ; 
“Please come some other time,” and quick 
Into their shells they hurried. 
Then to the globe of glass he flew, 
Where lived the eyeless cray-fish. 
“Just let me in,” he slyly coaxed, 
“ And blind-fish buff we’ll play, fish. 
I had a friend once from your cave” — 
The globe began to totter— 
“ Oh ! go away 1” the cray-fish begged, 
“We’re sure you hadn’t, otter!” 
By this time learned the otter man 
The mischief he was doing, 
And all the fishy people ran 
To join in his pursuing ; 
And soon they caught the naughty thing, 
And to his tank they bore him ; 
And while he squealed “ What fun I’ve had !” 
A -. r-en they fastened jo'er him. 
• ‘ rSTfbJ tl i.’Yi-j 1 
I chased that piggy-trotter 
The hippo---hippopotamus 
Said hip — “You didn’t, otter!” 
THE BOASTFUL PELICAN. 
THE BAREFOOT BOY. 
Blessings on thee, little man, 
Barefoot boy, with, cheek of tan! 
With thy, turned-up pantaloons. 
And thy merry whistled tunes; 
With thy red lips, redder still 
Kissed by strawberries ou the hill; 
With the sunshine on thy face, 
Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace; 
From my heart I give thee joy— 
I was once a barefoot boy. 
Prince thonart,—the grown up man 
Only is republican. 
Let the milliou-dollared ride! 
Barefoot, trudging at his side, 
Thou hast more than he can buy 
Iu the reach of ear and eye— 
Outward sunshine, inward joy. 
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy! 
* * * * # * * 
Cheerily, then, my little man, 
Live ami laugh, as boyhood can! 
Though the flinty slopes he hard, 
Stubble-speared the new-mown sward. 
Every morn shall lead thee through 
Fresh baptisms of the dew; 
Every evening from thy feet 
Shall the cool winds kiss the heat— 
All too soon these feet must hide 
In the prisou cells of pride, 
Lose the freedom of the sod, 
Like a colt’s for work be shod, 
Made to tread the mills of toil, 
Up and down in ceaseless broil: 
Happy if their track be fonnd 
Never on forbidden ground; 
Happy if they sink not in 
Quick and treacherous sands of sin. 
Ah! that thou couldst know thy joy 
Ere it passes, barefoot hoy! — Whittier, 
One bright sunny morning, 
When daylight was dawning, 
On the broad sandy banks of the blue river Nile 
Was a pelican stalking, 
And to himself talking, 
With his yellow eyes fixed on the stream meanwhile. 
“ On all hands it’s allowed 
I’ve a right to he proud. 
kMy singular beak above all is preferred,. 
Then my breast is .-.- white i _ 
1 certainly am a remarkable bird. 
My business is good ; 
I never lack food ; 
Each morning I feed on my favorite dish. 
I am up with the sun, 
And my work is begun—■ 
It’s the early pelican catches the fish.” 
Just then his sharp eye 
In the water did spy 
A little fish swim unsuspectingly through. 
“ O ho 1” said the pelican, 
“I am the fellow can 
Make a short meal of a fishling like you.” 
So, like little Jack Horner 
Sitting up in his corner, 
Mister Pelican watched for the fisli to go by ; 
Then he put in his beak, 
Pulled him out with a tweak 
And cried, ‘ ‘ What a smart bird am 11” 
But just overhead 
A fish-hawk’s voice said: 
“Ah, ha, neighbor pelican, what have you there? 
Your beak is so long, 
And your wings are so strong, 
You quite put to shame birds like me, I declare. 
Your breast is so white, 
And your legs are so bright, 
A word for pjain folks like myself I must speak : 
Then I'm poor and you’re rich” — 
And at that, with a twitch. 
He pulled the fish out of the pelican's beak. 
As he winged his way south 
With the fish in his mouth. 
This piece of advice he let fall as he (lew : 
“ There’s many a leak 
Twixt the fish and the beak ; 
Time enough to make boasts when your business is 
through.” 
Rachel Farley. 
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