The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-28

The New York Aquarium Boasts Of
Such u Department..
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
Six thousand visitors inspected the new
gallery in the Aquarium on Sunday the
completion of which has added forty tanks
to the regular exhibit. These tanks are
somewhat smaller than those on the main
uoor, but are arranged in much the same
order, and contain the smaller varieties of
fish as well as different kinds of crabs, tur-
ties and sea and coral anemone. From the
gallery good view is obtained of the pools
on the ground floor, in which the sand
sharks and seals disport themselves.
The two West Indla seals have acquired
q new accomplishment during the past
week. This consists of filling their mouths
with water and squirting it over any unSus-
picious visitor VINO may be standing near
the tank. More than one person got well
soaked by them on Sunday, much to the
amusement of the rest of the spectators.
The seals appear to be fond of Mr. Spencer,
the assistant superintendent whose special
proteges they are, but even he is some
times the victim of their playfulness. Yes
terday he received about q quart of water
up his sleeve in return for patting one OF
the animals on the head. Efforts are being
made to break the seals of this habit. I'm
til these ara successful the safest place to
view them is from the gallery.
Mondays and Tuesdays, when the aquar-
ium is closed to the public, are busy days
for the men employed in the institution.
Every tank and pool in the building Is
given thorough securing; the sides OF the
tanks are scrubbed with long-handled
mopS, after which the Eefuse and dirt is
allowed to settle at the bottom of the tanks.
whence it is removed, either by suction.
through siphon or by. opening slu1ce
in the floor, and permitting the water to
carry 1t off. In the largest pool, which
contains the sand sharks, the water is
lowered until it is only a few inches deep.
Men then get into the tank and scrub it
with mops. The sand sharks are much more
afraid of the men than the men are of the
sharks, and keep at a respectful distance
while the cleaning process is going on Mr..
Spencer hopes to have a man-eating shark
at the Aquarium in a month or so, when
some other means will be devised to clean
this tank.
Mr.. Spencer said that the question asked
most frequently is as to whether fish ever
sleep. Il have watched the fish carefully
at all hours of the day and night, he said,
and have come to the conclusion that they
do not They are the only animals known
that possess the peculiar faculty of being
able to live without Sleep.
Behind the glass tanks on the ground
floor, and out Of sight of the public, there
what are termed reserve tanks,
which constitute q hospital for any fish
that may become sick. DR.. j. II. Bean, SUI
perintmdent of the aquarium, who has
probably had more experience in matters
piscatorial than any other man in America,
says that fish, like all other animals, have
their own special ailments, the cure or
cial diet. A disease, which is the dread of
every aquarium in the world and to which
all fish are subject, is called fungus" It
usually appears on the head of the fish,
and if not attended to invariably proves
fatal. According to the doctor, the treat
ment for fungus is simple. "a freSh-WateT'
fish is placed in tank or brack1sh or salt
water, and a saltwater fish into fresh
water. Fresh water kills the fungus OF
salt water, and vice versa. There are, how
ever, certain fish, such as salmon, which
inhabit fresh water at one season and salt
water at another. These are known techni-
cally as anadrOmOuS, and If infected are
placed in water several degrees more salt
than sea water, and remain there till the
fungus is killed. There are in the aquarium
at present more than two thousand fish
which have been collected in different parts
of the globe
New York has now" added DIR. Bean,
the most practical aquarium in the world,
and as evidence that the people appreciate
1t l may say that it has been visited this
year by more than one and half millions
Of people"