The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-22
An UsEM ENTs.
The Great Aouaviuu and ice wonderful
Revoistions-Tbe Grave, the Gav, the
Lively, and the Odd-Also, the Bes utifui
and Quser-An Eshibition Worth Visitina.

|
curiously shaped gray-colored imo, about nve
inchee hong, with 9 mouth like Charley Backus
and lungs all over him. They call him a sea
raven. and he ats In the corner OF hts tank like
q goblin In church chewing his cud and medi-
tatiDg rads on the adj lcent crab or the venture
some shrimp. AZ . rule these public aouaria
are shsms ami humbugs. This Is no such thing
It's a credit to the city. and there lent q human
being In tho town who cannot spend hours of
| entertainment and instruction within its walls.
Tho building lie spacious and especially de-
signed for the use TO which II IA put. On en-
teriog you see an immense room lined with
tanks. At the further end IL a kind OF grotto
and cascade with running water, aud down the
| centre tanks of lager sizes, circular In
| form.
In a sentence might saw that Mr.. Coup has, at
great expense Of time and money, intelligence
and skill, succeeded In collecting variety OF
Gsh from the numbering whale OF labrador to
| the delicate stickleback OF New York. hut I
| prefer, while emitting much detailed and all
technical scientific Information, to give q
| sketchy resume Of this rare aud beautiful exhi-
bition.
FIRST OF all the house was built. Ranged about
| three Of the walls are a series OF tanks. Some
are very large, 10 feet by 10, others are quite
small, Q feet bv2. On the extreme right the
tanks are higher in the centre than at the two
ends OF the series, so constructed that the water
constantly ovcrnows from the higher to the
lower, and az the replenish ment more than nlls
them all, the waste pipes at the ends carry the
water back To the reservoir, from which II again
supplies tbs tanks. In the centre OF the room
stands the whale tank, an immense aniir OF
iron and glass based on a nrm foundation OF
masonry. THIS holds 5000 gallons OF salt water,
which needs to be changed twice q day. Ad-
lnlr tnrr 40 Ia t.RL TO-
A gallery runs part way round the room, at one
end OF which Harvey Dodworth sits when his
band begins to play, as II does every afternoon
and evening.
THE CURIosITIEs.
Personally felt most Interest In that Somi cal
| fellow, the sea raven, but vast majority of
visitors are attracted first and foremost by the
whale. Whale" isn't hi. scientific name, but
this isn't scientific article This whale Is Of
teen feet long. and very fond OF live cells.
judge go because he swallows half bushel of
EN- every day OF bis busy life. They say tn at
nsh have no nerves. This one has. He can't
| the time. Occasionally he rises to the surface
to blow for second, but although was there
about three hours. he only blew twice, once
when the Rev. DIR. Hepwortn smiled at bin. and
again when Charles O'Conor scowled at him
through the glass. II any OF our readers are Gu
said he looked through a glass darklv." let
them t.y to follow this great white whale-the
learned man no there calls him Beluga''-as he
skirts around the tank. Now you see him. and
now you don't. It's impossible 70 see him face
he bolts 'em bones aud all, and they occupy
space Ia his belly like so many Jonans, though
IA rare nsh In these parts. He was
caught near Labrador and brought here with
| difficulty. He needs salt water, Of course
filtered salt water aud kept at a gravity Of IL all
the time. In Brighton. England. the famous
daSp place il is Tor soss and ali tue rest Of The
nsh but here science was forced to resort to
tugs, tanks. and carts. Every day a steam tug,
lifted up inside IKE an emo NOUS tank Ia sent
out to the Lishtship. or on Rorkawav, for a
fresh load Of comparatively clean salt water. The
water from the East river Is like poison to a
decent 1sh. A famous fisherman told me he
himself saw two noble specimens of shsephesd
re sch the slip at the foot OF COrtlandt street,
where. overcome by the nausea and the stencil,
they turned over on their backs and gave up oil
trouble and bother snd care. When the Tug
reaches the foot OF lhirty-fourth street the
aquarium. This pie asant duty is done twice a
day. The whales tank holds eight feet OF water
all the time. One day last week It was a,ciden-
tally discovered that carelessness had allowed
the water to sink to depth Of less than three
feet and its wonder the whale didn't
embrace the opportunity to inJure his
cutcle and die. Hundreds OF people ii ,tten the
this great tank every day. Their desire to see
II but partially gratin d. for the hest view OF the
great hnster Is obtained from the bridge at the
can get fine view OF fhe sea hon ; So called he
ciuse he lives In the ocean and bargs like dog
He was caught In the Pacific ocean. weighs go
pounds, lives IN fresh water, ana eats small lsh
Ike native. His head is like that OF a large
his big black eyes look at one with all the
tender lustre of a heroine IN a romance.
IN a shiny Ions, black bag, with two
ms and tai; Ih.ts the sea Ion lie
slants rocky bed. up which lie wobbies from
Nm To hn aud down which he slides Till he
reaches the end, whom he piunges into the
laughing water, turns over aud over ike a clown
on pole, ana oaTks to his hearts content
He's fond OF Dish. When the keeper approaches
the side OF the lower pond. the sea lion eyes
| him gravely, evidently knowing what's to come.
| II the keeper pretends to throw some Ash In
| the lion barks with impatience. But when the
dainty morsels are tung 10 him, he ravenousiy
or sps them In his mouth, wobbles with all posi-
mount and there swallows them. The habits OF
this animal are peculiar and interesting. lie IL
~ pretty constant motion, makes a queer noiss
country doctor, he deals principally In gargls
Nett to tho white whale is a smaller tank,
| deep and large. however. filled with fresh water
| In which are three lit lie common seals. They
looked IKE shaved monkeys N trouble. such
sad little faces you rarely ind. except In happy
| family caees. Their mournfu expression would
make the fortune OF professional mutes. but
believe us all put on for Ut the approach OF the
keeper With n5h they rush to the aides OF the
,anK ana we WIN eicn ot9er TO attract MS At
| only way by which tue keeper can feed the
weakest is TO throw so many hsh in that even
Rreedtness II cutted.
don't purpose giving a catalogue Of the nsh
displayed-althouRh that II something Mr. Coup
should have done by Mr.. Holder. for IA now
arranged the people are greatly Inconvenience
In their effort to read the names on the cards
but Will mention a few that struck me as note
worthy at the time OF my visit. In tank, per
ips thirty feet long there Is a great variety OF
nsh and sea life An enormous green turtle,
bona Tide, padded across the bottom, as sol
emn AS an owl. shark about Ave feet long
showed his white belly his hideous mouth ana
his eight rows OF teeth. A huge sturgeon, eight
feet long, weighing go pounds, sped from end
to end with the gait Of racer A long-nose
sturgeon rem nded me OF the famous California
clippers we used to send to Shanghai aud the
Golden Gate.
"Hslo, what's that-an eel Z"
mo. that's a torpedo Il IA. Last night put
my arm In the tank, and no We me d shock
that numbed my hand for an hour"
He's an ugly looking round, tat thlng-a kind
OF vicious head, with lively tail.
Then came several small tanks with blue nsh,
weak Dsh, striped ss--perfect beaut ies-sword
hsn, liDgs. skates, Goldfish, dog and black FISH,
some fine sea bass, queer star fish, lobsters
CRIBS, drum and butter hsh, Spanish mackerel
and an old-fishiOned horseshoe, which car
ried me back to tho DAYS Of my YOUTH when
used to eaten bull heads Uy the neck, and strand
these hOrseshoes on Norwalk Reach ny the
SCORE. Crabs You really must go To the
| Aquarium for the sake u studying the crabs
There they are In all their native uRlIness aud
selnshncss, and In all their vanity az we'll
| N"nltyf Yes, for In less tnau an hour after a
quantity of alg@ IL thrown into the little tank,