The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-25
IN NEW YoRKs AQUARIUM.
Peculiar Specimens of the Finny
Tribe on Exhibition.

Il
Few aquariums are better lighted than
the one in New York. This is owing to
its advantageous site. on the brink Of the
| harbor's edge, so that an unusual amount
Of direct solar light filters through the
water OF the glass tanks in the gallery.
and displays the colors Of the inmates
most brilliantly All the devotees Of trout
| fishing, especially Californians. are in the
habit Of going into ectasies over their
"speckled beauties" but in the aquarium
there are fish with colors so gorgeous that
trout seem very sober-hued indeed by
comparison. Many of those who visit the
place have been compelled to ask them
selves the same question that one Of Mary
Winkin's old maid heroines asked herself
about her parrot: Have these gayly col
ored denizens Of the tanks souls? Are
they conscious Of their beauty? II they
are not. why does the green parrot fish
from the Bermudas station itself at the
top Of the tank against the Hghtest part,
SO that every detail Of its marvellous col
Oring Is most conspicuous? And again.
there are others-tne muscalonges, which
seem to resent being stared at, and sta
tion themselves head on and stare back
with baleful eyes. There are four of them,
and they form line, with equal distances
between each other, and must be obeyins
orders issued by one of them.
The big Mississippi catfish lies upon the
bottom Of its tank motionless, but with
eyes that seem full of hatred for the
whole human race. The hell-bender, ON
the contrary. has no antipathy to human
ity. and though generally all the bunch
are lying huddled together as IL suffering
from cold, II a crowd gathers in front Of
the tank one of them will ascend to the
middle of the water and assume that
characteristic humpiness to which il
owes its name.
This direct solar light shows the moon
fish to be one of the beauties of the place
as regards color, though otherwise IL b.
longs to the monstrosities. 1t looks for
all the world like rimless dinner plate
OF FURNISHED silver with big dent In 1t,
swimming about. The color is resplen-
dent, but the chief fascination is in the
uglincss of the creature, which has lit
tie head. large eye up in the top of tina
denied region, and long central fin Ike
the penIant of a fishing steamer. 1t
comes from Gravesend Bay. so that 1t is
home production. 1t is rather shy and
keeps at the back Of the tank. as il afraid
OF the silverite party, who might take it
for dollar at a ratio of 100 to l.
There are different varieties of other
pie who come to the aquarium for the
first time. ard admire the moonfsh huse-
ly. generally get the ZANE wrong. Ibis is
the only weak point in al institution of
real educational value as instructive as
1t is fascinating. and 1t Is question
whether it might not be advisable to add
two more stories so that each species
should be in Il tank by itself. There is
one tank in particular where there is one
hind and numerous amber fish. Generally
tie public supposes that the latter are
kinds. That fish is somewhat broader
than shad. which, however, it greatly
resembles in form, though not In color.
and one longs to get hold of it and plank
it; whereas the amber fish are golden
hued with deep red spots with red fms,
reddish spine on the back, and thick coral
red lips. The amber fish are intensely
amusing and source Of constant delight
to children, who like the funny ones even
better than the pretty ores, and they
ought to know their real names.
A little girl on election day. in the
morning hours stood fascinated before
an amber fish who stared at her with The
deeply pensive air OF the contemplative
bull frog. She opened her mouth widely
in establishment at it's intelligent look,
and the creature opened its mouth in po-
lite response and erected the spines on
its back. This made her scream with de-
light. and she could be dragged away only
by her fathers promise to bring her again
in the afternoon. But. alas, in the after
noon there were such crowds that she
could not get near the tank containing
her friend, the amber fish.
The crowded condition OF the place was
due to the fact that almost everybody CT
the five thousand visitors came between
the hours of 2 and 4. Last Sunday, when
there were S.000 there was far less crowd
ing because the numbers were evenly dis,
tributcd during the whole six hours. Put
on election day the visitors for the most
part were men who had voted and gone
home to dinner and afterward brought
their wives and families to see the down.
town flag decorations and to wind up with
the Aquarium.-New York Commercial
Advertiser.