The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1877-02-07

lowly organized plants. They live upois bon
ic acid. ammonia, salts and the like held in So
luton in the water in which they grow. Sr
by putting fishes and other aquatic animals
in water IN which tho plants are, VIC furnish,
them with the ye.y elements upon which
they subsist. Besides, in the processes Of life,
these plants give oif to be absorbed by the
water and supply ii the fishes oxygen ana
4 other matters, the very elements requisite ID
their life and vell-belnz. 81 hand ii hand
they 90 To each other prosperity they plav,
The plant pufiass tle water for The animals.
and the animals for the plants. What ii III
use no longer 20 The one, Ii al, essential d tI,e
life OF the other In fact the poison IL the
Que Is tho food Of the other. How beautiful
i this correlation between animals and plants!
What wisdom Is herein displayed ! What
wonderful economy
Nor is the phenomenon confined to tho
Aquarium. Il Is sem everywhere on tie
hin top, in the valley, in the ocean, III the riv-
ulet, in the SHOWS of Greenland, in the burn
ing sands of the great Sahara, in the clouds,
in the geyscrs, everywhere, and at all tunes.
The Aquarium in which the frogs are has
been entirely prosperous from the very first.
1t seems to be the opinion Of sumo that ali
Aquarium must be stocked with objects from,
afar. This Is Something like going abroad to
study Physical Geography, Geology, OF 20
Eoiogy, when ones own neighborhood contains
more material in either one of these fields
than any one can master in whole lifetime.
When herr people talk of going abroad to
study Natural Science, because of the meagr.
ness Of material here, am amazed. After
spending In my native county, in this Held OF
study, all my leisure for nearly twenty years.,
as look around me and soc the numberless
objects with which, as yet, l have no acs
quaintance. | feel that have yet scarcely
made beginning here Aud when I am ask
cd to make my home in other parts Of our
country to study and teach, am constrained
to reply, cannot afford 60 leave Huuterdun,
there is such abundance of matter here for
stndy-and so fine an opportunity to teach
that 1t would be q loss Of time to remove, and
q sacrihceof the choicest of opportunities
Here aig birds, whose habits are not known
and fishes that are not well understood. and
reptiles that have barely a name and quad
have yet no name, and crustations that NOR
tai eye hath not yet scanned, and worms
whose story is not yet told and an infusorial
fauna that offers work enough to keep a
thousand microscopes busy for a hundred
years. Here Is a Geological formation Of which,
we know almost nothing, and an atmosphere
concerning the principles of which We arc
very ignorant aud a fora, the members Of
which contain medicinal principles that are
yet untold. And yet, there are those Hun
terdonians who talk of going abroad to study
Natural Science 1t is somewhat so in regard
to Aqnara There are those vino would
bring from China the goldfish to stock an
Aquarium for a Hunterdonian, while our riy-
ulets and rils abound in members Of the flu.
ny tribe more beautiful more graceful, aud
more instructive than those from any other
land Be il not 50 III IIunserdon Let IN
learn to enjoy that which W. have around us
rather than cultivate taste for that which,
we have not. The object of an Aquarium
should be instruction and entertainment that
will enlarge our understanding aud mako us
wiser, had almost said--make us better.
Now since it Ia best to make ourselves ac-
/ quainted first with those natural objects that
are nearest to us, or with which We are in
more direct relation, It follows that--otlier
things being equal--we bad best stock our
Acquaria with plants and animals from our
own ponds, rivulets, or rivers. When We
have become well acquainted with tbcss Oh.
jects we may then expect to DO pardoned if
we choose to go abroad for material
Ny experience with the Aquarium-lifs of
our brook-fshes leads me to make few re-
marks regarding their habits, hardness, &c.
i For beauty, think nothing equals tho silver
fiji, But 1t is very frail fish, and must not
be In pool that is very deusely stscked.--
Clear water and plenty of vegetation are the
requisites for its thrift ;. 1t is an insect-feed-
or chiefly. Next to the silverfn must be
ranked the fundulus. This too is insectivor-
GUS in its habits, and requires little atten-
ton in procuring 1t food during the winter
In the summer when there are an abundance
of flies, 1t fires we'll enough. Daee. minnows,
chubs suntish redins and suckers get along
very well upon bread, finely crumbed, and
/ little lean meat cut into very small pieces
There is much danger of throwing into the
Aquarium too much food. When more than
the animals can consume Is added, 1t soon un-
dergoes putrefaction, and charges the water
with elements detrimental to this health Of
the inmates. small quantity Of food given
twice or thrice week. generally suficss. The
practice of keeping fishes OF other animals in
an Aquarium without feeding them is certain
i " cruel IL is sometimes said of those who
have one or two small goldashes In q small
Aquarium, that they never feed them, that
they get what they need 10 live upon out Of
the water in which they are kept. This water
is changed once a day OF once in two days.
4 To be sure there are very small animaculae
and very small plants in the clearest of wat
ers but to compel these little fishes to sub
sist upon these microscopic organisms. or slss
to die of starvation, 10 a cruelty that ought
not to be practiced. The goldfish. when prop
erly fed soon attains fine size. But in
AZ a.