Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-07-10
The Aquarium and it's Inhabltants.


From the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser.
Few people out of the many thousands
who flock to our seaside places during
the summer months, says contempo-
rary, have the slightest idea Of the
countless wonders which lie close to
their feet as they walk along the brink
of the ocean. All Of them know that
the sea is full of strange and wonderful
creatures, which go by the name Of fish,
but of the marvels of nature, which
fringe the shores Of the great deep, most
of them, as rule, know little or moth
ing, This ignorance arises not SO much
from utter indifference to natural his
tory ITSELF as from the fact that stu
dies of the sort have never been brought
fairly before their notice. s
When once the morning bathe is over,
it is usually the question how TO pass
away the remaining hours Of the day,
so as to arrive as soon as possible at the
evening. when, perhaps, some dancing
or musical party may drive away for a
time the ennui which oppresses them.
All this goes on week after week, with.
little variation, until at last the wearied
strangers are only too glad to take their
leave of place which to them seems
utterly wanting in any kind Of attrao-
ton. And yet all this time, while they
are fretting and chatting at their want of
occupation, almost before their feet lie
treasures, which may be secured with
very little exertion, aud the study Of
which weuld efiectually relieve tedinm
of even the longest day. he
First Of all, then, let us come to
distinct understanding as to what an
anemone is. Neither fish nor vege-
table; what then can it be? Let us look
very carefully at one when it is fully ex-
panded, and see if that will give us any
key to the secret. In the center of the
creature, as we look down upon it, lies
its mouth, or rather, simply the entrance
into its digestive organs, round which
are ranged number of flexible mem
bers, which go by the name Of tentacles
These tentacles to some extent, only on
very small scale' resemble the arms of
the hideous octopus, or cutie fish. The
anemone belongs to the class called by
naturalists, Polyps." These polyps
are OF almost endless variety, but tl.ey
all pOSbeSS Tue ulbIlncJlVe. leuEIre OF
having tentaclesIor arms of some form
or other, by which they can seize any
thing they man fancy for food.
Specimens will not belong in the tank
before some little strangers will make
their appearance, but OF the actual man
ner in which they are brought into exis-
tence we can only speak from hearsay.
II is said that some detach their young
from their base, while others either bring
forth eggs or eject their young thrive in
the tank. Possibly the want of running
water kills them, crit may be that they
require some delicate food which in cap
tiyity they cannot obtain.
The anemone can only be kept by the
presence in the water of certain gas
called oxygen, which is given off by the
various seaweed under the influence of
light. Thevegetable, on the other hand,
is nourished by different gas called car.
bonic acid, which is given off either by
the living creatures or by the decompos-
ing matter al the bottom of the sea. And
thus wo get peep at the marvellous
compensating balance of nature; moth
ing is useless, nothing wasted. What is
death to the animal is life 10 the vege-
table, and vice versa.