The sun., 1900-11-18
VIEW THINGS AT THE A0UARIUM.
EeIs From Croton M,in-A Big skate With
signs Of Battle on Its Body.

Among tie new arrivals at tho Aquarium
last week wers two eels. ono Of them about
two feet and three quarters In length and the
other measuring about two feet, which were
taken from the Croton water main from which
the Aquarium draws II. supplies Of fresh water.
The service pipe for this supply takes OF from
a main that runs through Battery Park. When
the connection wa. first made ecs came now
and then through the service pipe 20 get finally
into the valves Of the pumps In the Aquarium.
necessitatins sometimes taking the pumps
apart 10 get the cells out. Later there was
pu. In at the point OF connection In the park
a strliner. At the end Of every week the
strniner Ia taken out, and a clean one is put in.
These two eels we're taken at this point. as
have been other sizabe eels before them.
A big barn-door skate received at the Aauar-
ium last week was minus abou' foot OF i's
tail This skate measures about three feet
In width and its tail complete must have meas
ured about four feet and a half; its length now
Is about three feet and a half just how II
lost that foot of tail Is. OF course, not known
absolutely. but II was no doubt bitten OF by
some big fish. The docking Of the big skates
tail is supposed To have occurred about two
years ago the wound has long since perfectly
healed Instead OF running out to great
length. however. with fan-liks little fms at
the end the now comparatively stubby tail
OF this big skate terminates In spike-shaped
point that is calloused at the tip. Incidentally
IL might be- mentioned that this skate has in
It's body. near its head a bad fresh wound.
so that IL would be easy TO imagine that the
biz skate had been engaged In desperate
rough and tumble with some other big sub
marine ruft'an. As a matter OF iact the new
wound In its body was made with the gail OF
n boat hook in landing the animal after 1t had
beon caught
From fake Erie n p1ft from tho New Jersey
Fish aud Game Commission, which sends ocCa-
sionally 10 those waters for stock vherewlth to
repleniSh IT'S own lakes and streams the Aqua
rum has lately received four small white bass.
being a very slightly fish. two lonQ-jawed gar
and small lake stur geOn. the la-t-naineG hsh
being the first Of its SPECIES ever exhibited here
Among tan ks newly arranged az the Aquarium
is one In which oysters are shown as those
shell1-h would be seen IN nature he Aqua
rum has had an oyster tank before, but this one
attracts attention Just the same lhe tank Is
extremely simple. some rocks banked M along,
side the back. Cravelly bottom in front. and
scattered about oysters growing IN clu,nps as
they would be very likely 10 grow naturally
Another old and familiar, and yet to many
In some ~ the turtle tanks. In place of rocks.
of cork islands for the turtles 10 crawl out upon
The advantage Of cork for the use is that being
much lighter II Is much easier 10 handle than
pieces of rock would he. in taking II out and
putting IL back as when the tank is cleaned
II is also a little variation from the stlll more
familiar rock and. old as the practice Is. IL
ing about on q cork Island II might seem that
II would he difficult for the turtles 70 get up
on this movable object, but i IA IN fact easy
for them, They. can set their claws In the
under their weight. and they climb W without
II adds little 20 ones interest in
the cork islands in the Aouarium's turtle tanks.
life pte-ervef found floating in the water OF
tho Battery sea wall.