THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM. JOURNAL. .11 
THE SEA SHELL 
FACTS AND FANCIES ABOUT FISH. 
FOR OUR YOUNG FOLKS. 
TOLD BY UNCLE OCTOPUS. 
Well my young friends I wonder how many 
of you have been to the Aquarium since your 
Uncle Octopus wrote to you last ? Those who 
have been there now know that he has not told 
them any “fish stories,” though he did tell them 
stories about fish. 
Of course, those who went saw the whale, the 
wonderful white whale that swims around his 
glass walled prison all day long, and never stops 
or turns his head, except when he wants to catch 
an eel and eat it. And now that we are talking 
about the whale, let me see if you can guess a 
conundrum that some orie of the wise men at 
the Aquarium asked your Uncle Octopus the 
other day, and which he was not smart enough 
to guess ; this was it: “Why is the whale at 
the Aquarium like a water lily ?” and when your 
stupid Uncle had almost gone to sleep trying to 
iguess it, and at last had to “give it up,” the wise 
man looked wiser than ever, as he gave this an¬ 
swer : “The whale at the Aquarium is like a- 
water lily because both of them have to come to 
the . top of the water to blow. ” That seemed to 
me a pretty good one, and I thought if a sight 
■of a whale in a tank makes a man as smart as 
that the oftener he sees it the better. But do 
not think that the whale is the only wonder to 
be seen at this place ; , just look at the last 
page of this paper, and begin reading the lists 
that are there, and when you come to a name 
that has a star like this * after it, just look inside 
the paper and you will read what will make you 
wiser than you were. 
Of all the funny fish in this funny place, the 
balloon fish is the funniest; you will see it in one 
of the tanks near were the fish eggs are. It looks 
like a pin cushion with wings, and goes swim¬ 
ming through the water like a little live pineapple. 
Then again there are the Sea Ravens"; the 
guide will tell you where they are, but when 
you have found them I should not wonder if you 
got down under the table for fear of being 
frightened to death at the sight of such an ugly 
thing alive. You must see the Hermit Crabs 
. too, but before looking at them, just read what 
is told you on this page about their queer ways 
and manners. I declare I had almost forgotten 
the strangest fish of all. You will find him in 
a big tank all by himself, and his name is the 
‘ 1 American Angler, ” and you may also read 
about him in this very paper. 
Before your Uncle Octopus stops his wise non¬ 
sense we would like to know who has seen him 
and what he looks like. One little friend at the 
Aquarium, the other day, said he knew who 
Uncle Octopus was, and then pointed out a mild 
looking gentleman with a head a little bald on 
top, and a queer twinkle in his eye.’ I wonder 
if he was right? No matter whether he was or 
or not so long as he does his best to please you 
all, for whether he’s a man or fish he is still 
Your affectionate 
Uncle Octopus, 
X. 
“ Listen, darling, and tell me 
What the murmurer says to thee ; 
Murmuring ’twixt a song and a moan. 
Changing neither tune nor tone.” 
2 . 
“Yes, I hear it—far and faint, 
Like thin-drawn prayer of drowsy saint; 
Like the falling of sleep on a weary brain. 
When the fevered heart is quiet again.” 
3. 
“By smiling lip and fixed eye, 
You are hearing more than song or sigh : 
The wrinkled thing has curious ways — 
I want to know what words it says.” 
4. 
‘ ‘ I hear a wind on a boatless main 
Sigh like the last of a vanishing pain ; 
On the dreaming waters dreams the moon, 
But I hear no words in their murmured tune.” 
5. 
‘ If it does not say that I love thee well, 
’Tis a senseless, ill-curved, worn-out shell. 
If it is not of love, why sigh or sing? 
'Tis a common, mechanical, useless thing.” 
G- 
“It whispers of love_—’tis a prophet-shell — 
Of a peace that'comes and all shall be well; 
It speaks not a word of your love to me, 
But it tells me to love you eternally.” 
George MacDonald. 
THE HERMIT CRAB, 
Trust Not to Appearances. 
A gentleman who went to live on the coast of 
Florida started out one day to collect small 
conch shells. He found them very plentiful, 
and having filled his pockets started for home. 
After walking a short distance, he thought he 
felt a movement in one pocket but did not pay 
much attention to it. Soon he felt a strange 
sensation between the shoulders, and in one 
sleeve, and in a moment his coat seemed to have 
taken life. Thinking of snakes and all horrible 
reptiles, he tore off the garment and found a 
colony of Hermit Crabs traveling in all directions 
with the conch shells on tlieir backs. These 
queer little fellows have no homes of their own 
but inhabit the deserted shells of mullusks, and 
in this instance had taken posession of the little 
cones. When frightened or threatened with 
danger they retreat so far into the shell that one 
will often think it empty. 
They seem to have but one serious trial in life, 
and that is the protection of their fleshy tail; they 
are obliged to keep it buried in the inmost part 
of the shell. They live in it and expose only the 
fore part of their bodies and claws which are 
hard. 
They move at all times with their houses on 
their backs, and seldom leave them except when 
the looks or the smallness of a shell suggests a 
change. When they see a shell that takes their 
fancy they turn it over and examine it very care¬ 
fully, then jump out of their old home and 
whisk into the new one, tail first. “ Soldier 
Crabs” they are sometimes called because of their 
constantly fighting among themselves; they are. 
indeed, “crusty customers.” Its the easiest 
thing in the world for one hermit to get in 
trouble with and have a fight with another, and 
the dead hermit is always eaten by his com¬ 
panions. If an attempt is made to remove one 
of these little “Knights of Armor” from his 
shell, he clings with great tenacity by means of 
a pair of hooks at the end of his tail, and often 
allows himself to be torn to pieces rather than 
loosen his grasp. If placed in impure water 
they will leave their shells, and having caused 
them to do this, I have placed them back in the 
aquarium and lent one shell, for the possession 
of which a spirited battle always took place. 
They are very useful in a tank as showing signs 
of ill health. As soon as the water begins to 
turn bad they will leave their shells and climb 
up the rocks and seaweeds nearest to the surface 
of the water. They are the cleanest of house¬ 
keepers, and .will never allow the floor of theii 
tank to become soiled. Feeding either on vege¬ 
table or animal substance, they are but little 
trouble in a tank, and their constant tricks and 
quick, comical motions make them a source ot 
great amusement. Pagurus longicarpus is the 
scientific name of the common Hermit Ciab, 
which high sounding title should at least .entitle 
him to some respect. 
When Dr. Holder was residing in hlorida, 
he had aland Hermit Crab take up his residence 
under the office floor. He came out through 
a hole in the floor every day, and would climb 
up the leg of a table and drink from a dish of 
water placed there for him. 
This crab became so very tame that he would 
allow persons to handle and feed him. Lie 
Doctor, when traveling, placed him in his trunk 
for safety. It our young friends who visit the 
Aquarium will search out on the last page of the 
Aquarium Journal the place where tank H stands, 
they will find the tank itself, and thus will see 
many of these odd crabs and their queer names. 
A. W. ROBERTS. 
A Boston Boy on Fish.— A smart Boston 
boy writes the following ;—Fish lives in the 
Atlantic Ocean, Buzzards Bay, and some in 
Charles River. When they are small they 
are codfish, herrin’, and sich ; when they 
grow up they are whales. Whales is very 
useful; they sometimes swallows a whole ship 
and all the crew. The fat of whales is biled 
out and made inter kerosene oil for gaslight. 
Their bones is made inter whalebone for ivory 
pianner keys and dominoes, also for horn 
handles for jack knifes. I wish a whale 
would swaller my school and all the teachers. 
Fish is always eat Friday. I hate fish ; there 
is so many bones to pick out when you eat 
’em. I ruther eat a paper of pins fried in 
lard. A whale could lick all the boys in the 
Harvard Crammer School. Could lick thun¬ 
der out of ’em and make ’em sick, and don’t 
forget it. 
