New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-04

Aquarium Society held IT'S tnlrd annual
public exhibition in the Marine liver
tebrates Hall OF the Institute Of Arts
and Sciences. Save for those who
knew il beforehand. few Of the ten
thousand and more visitors would ever
have imagined that the remarkable dis
play of rare and beautiful fishes was
the result Of the activities Of an or
ganization less than four years old,
with a membership o. less than l25.
OF course there we're goldfish
scores Of them of every conceivable
type. size and color. making it terri
bly, hard 20 believe that all are the
direct descendants Of the common
carp and the result Of painstaking Sc
lection and breeding on the part OF
the Chinese. who first evolved them.
There were the almost microscopic
"fry" few days old; massive crimson
"lion heads" whose curious swollen
bodies and warty heads suggested
some weird deformity; diaphanous,
Telescopes" with huge, protrudine
eyebalIs; the scaled types, the scale
less types and ali the rest.
But although in many minds gold
FISH are the sum and substance Of all
aquaria, they were only one small de-
tail OF this collection. There were,
.or instance, the dace, catfish, sickle
backs, sunfsh and sinners that innabit
our domestic pools and streams;
strange. delicate, almost transparent
forms from South America; Vicious
.ghting FISH. bearing the appropriate
name Of BETA pugnaX,' no two OF
which can be kept in the same tank;
paradise ish rich in contrasting col
ors. the first Of al. warm water species
20 be ~ reduced 20 aguarIa. some thir-
ty-Gvc years ago; the remarkable
'movth -DreCuing PaTatilapias, OF
which family the females gather the
uCuly fortified eggs into their mouths
and keep them there during their two
weeks incubation period, refralnlne
entirely from eating during that time
and even for while aterward. dur
ms which the timid fshlets are in the
habit o. s"ekiuc refuge in their capa-
cious maws. and the unique live
bearing" species. of which more anon;
fishes even from the Nile. the Amazon,
South Africa. Hcyico and other dis-
,an. corners Of me earth. all vigorous.
healthy and test.fyiug 10 the studious
care given them By their owners.
In all there were some TWO hundred
exhibits of from TWO 90 twenty nsh
each, bu. many OF the glass tanks were
OF additional interest because Of the
unfamiliar and beautiful aquatic
plants waving and shin.Aering within;
other "balauced' aquaria, that Is,
tanks in which the water. fish and
plants had not been changed or re-
newed for six months or more, sug-
gested new and fascinating possible
ties 20 the unInitiatcd.
Many Of me exhibits were entered
in competition for seven special
awards and 1876 prize ribbons, and the
Judges. Messrs. Bade, Heed, Herman.
Dorsey and lines. ser" sept hard at
work for me entire first day placing
them. Eventually the special awards
went 20 Franklin Barrett. Of Phila-
delphia. ior che rarest collection Of
gold and tropical fish: 20 ". II. Helm
bach. Of Allentown, Penn. and {. t.
Nisel. OF Brooklyn. for the largest
collection Of goldfish; to W. l.. Brlnd,
OF Bergenfeld. Y. j., Cor the largest
collection of tropical fish, and TO Mrs:
Marie Maier and t. J. Wilcox, OF
Brooklyn, for the largest and smallest
balanced aquaria respectively.
For exhibition only were sevefsl
terraria. OF collections OF land plants
and reptiles. a striking collection OF
"Nymphea gigantca.' the blue water
lily, from the greenhouses OF william
rricker. Of Now Jersey. and salt'
water aquarium sent by the New YORK
> Aquarium. at Battery Fd:E.