Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-06-17
THE NAPLES AQUARIUM.
Wonders of Mediterranean Marine Life
Observation-Disclosures at work.

is quite as entertaining as that at Brigh-
ton. A correspondent of the London
Athen@num thus describes it: zone
Of the most conspicuous objects on the
Riviera is a handsome white palace
which rises from among the trees Of
the park, near the central point of at
traction, frequented by the military
band. The laboratory and aquarium on
the shore of the richest of European
seas-a very paradise for naturalists, so
long wished for and talked offs now
an accomplished fact Let me give you
sketch OF what is now to be seen and
done within its stately walls. And
first, as to the great aquarium, which
is open to the public, and daily reveals
to inquisitive tourists the brilliant and
wonderful inhabitants of the bottom of
the Mediterranean Sea The tanks are
arranged as in other public acquaria, so
that the light entering the large oblong
hall in which they are placed passes
through them alone, and thus fully
lights their contents. Three sides of
the hall are occupied by large tanks,
whilst double series of smaller ones
extends along the centre, to which
light is admitted by central opening
or court. Sea water is pumped therein
The tanks are we'll stocked with speci-
mems Of marine life In one is an as
semblage of long tentacled anemoes,
closely packed side by side, and form
ing a group of wonderfully graceful form
and rich color. Further on we come to
some large Mediterranean wrasse,
which of all fish have, perhaps, the
finest display of color, and with these
are several specimens of Sepia, the
cuttle-bone cutie fish. This is a COM
mon animal at Naples, and is largely
eaten, but has not yet been seen in
English or German acquarla. Somehow
the Sepia manages to suggest to one
that he is a small marine elephant, his
head having somewhat the shape famil-
lar to that wise beast, and his arms
being carried like the elephants trunk.
He swims altogether different from the
mode adopted by Octopus, a near rela-
tive, who is to be seen III greatnumbers
In some Of the tanks, and often of great
size. The Octopus, when he loosens
his hold Of the glass or rock (overwhich
he can crawl very nimbly by means of
his huge sucker-b bearing arms), swims
backwards by opening and shut
ting the para chute-like membrane
surrounding his mouth, formed by mem
branes stretching between each of his
eight arms. Sepia quietly swims along
by means Of pair Of long and almost
transparent fins, which undulate regu-
larry on each side of the body.
1.-THE Calamaries, which are to be
seen in another tank, this long marginal
fin is extended greatly on each side,
which the creature moves through the
water, much in the same way as heron
or heavy flying bird slowly flaps its way
along the air. The calamaries are very
delicate animals, nearly foot long and
almost transparent. They are almost
rOd-like in proportions, and though the
two large eyes point out the head, yet
since the culinary moves with as much
precision backward as he does forward,
and seems to have no preference in the
matter, visitors at the aquarium often
mistake his head for his tail. Occasion
ally the sepias have been seen to throw
out their ink and blacken the whole of
their tank for a few minutes, but in
half an hour the colOring matter is car
ried away by the stream. Dogfish are,
of course, abundant
The apparenuglass-like animals which
swim on the surface of the sea, are daily
renewed when weather permits and at
present there are some really lovely
things of that kind to be seen here
which could be nowhere else exhibited,
since the Naples Aquarium is the only
one that can draw supplies from awarm
sea. The Cestum Veneris is one of the
ststriking these transparent organ
isms, being band of perfectly glass
like consistency nearly yard in length,
undulating like a snake, and slowly
moving through the water by means of
large vibrating fringes, which glisten
with all the colors of the rainbow
Some of these are brought in nearly
every day by the fishermen, and HUNDREDS
of the long chains Of transparent calp8,
not to speak of Beroes, as big as lemons
glass shrimps, inhabiting the transpa-
rent little tubs known as Doliolum, and
sometimes Leptocephalus, a true YER
tebrate fish, Of which one at first sees
body being absolutely as clear and in
visible as piece Of glass-a really ideal
ghost of fish.
In some of the tanks are living speci-
mems of the Red Coral OF commerce,
looking far more beautiful with the deli
cate feather-heads of the polyps set on
red matrix than when scraped and
polished. The sea pens are also
numerous, and Of most brilliant tints
and fantastic form
cannot take more of your space to
describe the richly colored Nudibranchs
which are everywhere creeping about
the stones and sides of the tanks, the
various species Of crabs and lobster-ike
animals, the sea-horses, tube worms
and most graceful barnacles
Up stairs is large laboratory with
series of tanks and work-tables.
Twelve biologists can be Accommodated
here. Besides this there are several
separate rooms, each provided with
tanks and work-tables, and these are
already in use. The tables are let to
various FOREIGN GOVERN ments for the usa