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Plate V.
*.
Laurencia plnnatifolia.
2.
Polysplionia parasitica.
3.
UlvalaUssima.
4.
Rhodymonia
lacinata.
5,
Graeilaria confervo!dea.
G.
Codium
7.
Crida-a edulis.
bursa.
3.
9. lu.
Zonaria parvula. Ectocarpus tomcntosui.
uoraUina
nffltinalis.
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTEE
....
Inteodtjction
CHAPTEE The Flooe
oe ihe Ocean
Aqt7aeit7m
.
or the
II.
9
III.
20
IV.
Maeine AauAEiuM
CHAPTEE
.
40
V.
The Zoophytes
53
CHAPTEE The Molluscs,
1
.
.
CHAPTEE The Vegetation
PAGE .
....
CHAPTEE The
I.
etc
VI.
67
"'
CONTEXTS.
CHAPTEE
VII. PAGE
The
Ascidians, luscs,
Baes-acles,
Sea-Woems,
Sea-Ctjcujibees,
etc.
...
CHAPTEE The Fish and CRrsxACEAKs
CONCLTJSIOK-
.
.
9-1)4-
.
89
VIII.
of the AQUAEnjii
CHAPTEE
Mol-
jS'aked
98
IX.
...
110
.
.
LIST OF PLATES.
PLATE
I.
SEA-WEEDS. No.
PAGE
The Crimson
1.
2.
Functaria
3.
Chordaria flagelliformis
4.
Vauclieria suhmarina
5.
Hildenhrandtia rubra
latifolia
.
.
46
Delesseria
The Broad-leaved Punctaria
46
The
46
"Whip-like Chordaria
The Submariae Vaucheria
.
.
47
.
The Eed Hildenhrandtia
.
PLATE
46
II.
SEA-WEEDS. 1.
2. 3.
Bamgia fusco-prirpurea Codium tomentosum Bryopsis plumosa
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
4.
Callithamnion arhuscula
5.
Leathesia Berkleyi
.
6.
Laminaria pjiyllitia
.
.
.
.
.
The Dark-purple Bangia
The
Closely-haired
The Feathery Bryopsis The
The Leafy Laminaria
.
.
The Common Porphyra
.
.
The Slender Dumontia
Asperococous Turneri
.
.
Turner's Asperococcus
RytipluBa pinastris
.
.
Dumontia filiformis
3. 4.
vulga/ria
.
47
42, 47
47 .
47 47
.
III.
.
Porphyra
.
.
.
1
2.
.
Tree-like Callithamnion
Berkley's Leathesia
PLATE
47
Codium
The Pine-like
Eytiphffia
.
.
47
.
48
.
48 .
48
.
.
LIST OF PLATES. 5. 6.
Chrysemenia rosea Peyssonetia
Buhji
The Kose-colouredCkrysemema
48
Duty's Peyssonetia Tlie Minutely-branching Clior-
48
.
.
.
.
.
•
48
1.
Choria/ria divaricata
8.
Eetocarpus siliculosus
The Podded Eetocarpus
Nemdleon multifida
The Many-cleft jS'emaleon
.
The Spotted Nytophyllum
.
48
.
42
9.
10.
daria
.
Nytophyllum punctatum
PLATE
.
47
.
47
IV.
SEA-A^^;EDS. 1.
Chondrus crispus
.
The Curly Chondrus
.
The 2.
Oigartina acicuhris
.
Needle-shaped or Pointed
49
f . '
[
3.
Ceramium sfrictum
.
.
4.
Taonia atomaria
.
.
5.
Plocamium coccineum
.
.
.
Gigartina
The Pink Ceramium
.
The Speckled Taonia The Scarlet Plocamium
PLATE
49
.
.
.
48
.
.
48
V.
SEA-WEEDS. f
1
"I 2. 3.
Poly spjwnia parasitica
Ulva latissima
.
.
.
.
4.
RJiodymenia lacinata
5.
Gracilaria confervoides
.
6.
Codimn bursa
.
7.
Iridcea edulis
8.
Zonaria parvula
9.
Hetocarpm tomentosus
10.
The Pitmate-leaved Lauren-
Lav/rencia pinnatifolia
.
.
.
.
Gorallina officinalis
.
.
.
.
cia
The
.
43, 49
.
Parasitic Polysphonia
.
.
...
The Broad-leaved Ulva The Lace-edged Ehodymenia The Sponge-Hke Gracilaria The Purse-lLke Codium .
The Eatable Iridea The Lesser Zonaria
43, 49
50 .
....
The Hairy Eetocarpus The Common Corallina
.
.
50
49
.
50 49 50
.
50
.
50
..
LIST OF PLATES.
PLATE
VI.
SEA-ANEMONIES, STAE-FISIE, ETC. No.
PAGE
1
Oeniaster equestres
2.
Asterina gihhosa
3.
Palmipes memhranaceus
4.
Crilella oculata
5.
Palmmon
6.
Edwardsia
.
.
.
.
.
serrattcs
vestita
.
.
.
2.
Pennatuh phosphorea,
3.
A.
4.
A
.
.
104 104
.
102 56
YII.
The Nailed Sea- Anemone
.
57
The Phosphoric Sea-pen
.
63
Gtow^ oi Ascidians Shell of the
89
Common']
specimens of Bdlanus
2.
91
.
.
j
PLATE &
104
.
Pra-wn.
"Whelk, on which are two I The Acorn-shell
1
.
.
The Clothed Sea- Anemone
.
....
Actinia clavafa
Star-fish
The Common
PLATE 1
Star-fish
Bird's-foot Star
The Eyed
104
Scarlet Star-fish
The aihhous
The
.
.
The SmaU
VIII.
Actinia mesembrt/an- (The Carnation -like Sea-Ane-"
59
themum 3.
Actinia gemmacea
.
4. JDuccrnaria auricula 5.
.
.
.
.
mone of different colours The Gemmed Sea- Anemone The Auricula-Hke Lucemaria
.
The Eod-like Sea-Pen
I
Virgularia mirahilis
.
PLATE 1
4.
Alyconium ddgitatum sphara
Cucumis hgalinus
65
IX. 59
.
I
2.
.
The Serpent-haired Sea-Ane-
Actinia anguieoma
3. JEchinus
.
57 61
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
mone The Many-fingered Alyconium The Common Sea-Egg
.
The Glassy Sea-Cucumber
63
.
.107
.
.
92
.
LIST OF PLATES.
PLATE
X. PACK
A
1
group of Serpula contortupUoata
^
,
2.
,.
.
.
.
.
.
•
{
(.
A
XI.
Design for a Plainly-moiuited Aquarium
PLATE Design
for
1-59
mone
PLATE A
90
Twisted Serpula
(The Thick-homed Sea-Ane-)
.
Achnia crassworniB
I The
.
.
3o
XII.
an Aquarium mounted in handsome Rustic-work
35
;
OCEAN GARDENS OE,
GLIMPSES BENEATH THE WATERS.
CHAPTER
I.
rNIEODUCTIOlSr.
HAT the vast majority of our migratory flocks of
p
idlers generally sea-side,
fied
summer and autumnal do and think
at the
cannot be better exempli-
than by reference to the clever
sketches which are found occupying entire
pages of our illustrated periodicals and newspapers, during the season of marine migration.
But the
habits
and customs of the
annual shoal of visitors to our watering-places
may be
more intimately comprehended through the medium of the sprightly essays which generally accomstill
pany those
And
is
truly artistic delineations.
there really nothing
better to do
—
^no
,
OCEAN GAEDENS; better regime to go through, than the daily repetition
of the monotonous
programme of entertainment
thus
playfully described and ridiculed'?
Sm-ely the visitor at the sea-side
in reach of
is
something more pleasant and profitable than such a routine
Do
!
not the sublime
sound of
coming of
its its
aspects
deep ceaseless voice
now
waves,
—the
now cliffs
whose white brows are
—suggest
the breeze
"svreathed
other matters
and amusement?
eternal on-
base of those
with perennial
both for
reflection
Surely the very whispering of
that has travelled so far over that vast
moving surface of the fathomless deep, and seems muttering of its
as
—
•"
has termed
other and higher
wliich
mysteries, while laden
its
sweet sahne odour
Dumas
the
in calm imdulations, and
in hurtling wildness against the
flowers
—
of the ocean
trains
ce it
parfum acre de
—might
lead us
of thought.
la
mth mer"
towards
Surely those
voices in the wind, mingling with the strange mur-
mur
of the waves as they break in cadenced regu-
larity
upon the
of those
shore,
ought
who hear them
to arouse, in the feelings
for the first time, or after a
long absence, strange sensations of admiration, and curiosity, and wonder. But no to most of the ;
idle
crowd those sights and sounds are invisible and
OE, GLIMPSES
unheard.
Their
BENEATH THE WATEES. have not been tutored
ears
understand the word-music of
to
Nature's language,
nor to read the brightly written signs on
its
glorious
page.
To
Nature or Art, the mind
appreciate either
requires a special education, without which the eye
and
the
ear
perceive
observer,
but
To
passing before them.
the
miracles
the eye of the
common
of
little
landscape
a
the farthest field in
is
as
green as the nearest, in the scene outspread before
him
while to the practised glance of the accom-
;
plished
artist,
of
tone
its
new
herbage,
till,
every yard of distance lends
colour to
the
tints
of
the
through a thousand delicate gradations, the brightest verdure at last mingles with the atmospheric hue,
and
is
eventually lost in the pervading azure.
then, the ordinary aspects of Nature
interpreted
by
the untutored eye,
may how
If,
not be fully
should her
more hidden mysteries be felt or understood, And, ia fact, they are not, guessed af?
or even
the
or
visitor to the sea-side, looking over that wide tremu-
lous expanse of water that covers so
would
feel,
like the
chUd taken
many
mysteries,
for the first
time
within the walls of a theatre, an intense anxiety to raise
scene
the
dark green curtain which conceals the
of fairy wonders he
is
greedily longing
to
;
OCEAN GARDENS behold and enjoy.
But the lounger
does not guess
the wonders
at
at the sea-side
concealed by the
dark green curtain of the ocean, and, consequently, never dreams of wishing to peep beneath its waving not
gratify a curiosity which, in fact,
to
folds,
he does
feel.
When, however, learnt,
mur
the
to
language
the
and her voice
is
Nature
of
but becomes a brUliant
ear,
is
no longer a confused murseries of
eloquent words, full of deep and exquisite meaning,
then the student will see as well as hear; but tUl then, in his intercourse with Nature, he
and
blind.
" Speak," said Socrates to a
something, that I
may
see you."
man; and
not see a silent
is
youth
;
" say
Socrates could
who do
those
both deaf
not hear
and understand Nature's language, cannot see her wondrous beauty.
The mill-Hke
repetition of worldly affairs brings
on a torpor of mind, in regard to aU without the narrow circle of selfish interests and easily purchased pleasures, which
But
it
is
very
difficult to
wake
would Avarn the suff"ering victims of that baneful, though secret, presence for with the
up from.
I
;
consciousness of
its
been taken towards I
existence, the first step will its
have
eradication.
would remind aU those thus
suffering
from inac-
;
OR, aLIMPSES tivity of
BENEATH THE WATEES.
mind, of the wholesome dread of that kind
of mental torpor entertained by the Gymnosophists
who, as Apuleius
tells
us,
when they met
at meals,
required that each should be able to narrate the
some
particulars of
good
action, in default of which, it
he did not exhibit a to
discovery, or original thought, or
was deemed that
sufficient claim for
being allowed
consume a share of the viands, and he was conse-
Were
quently excluded from the repast.
most
idle sea-side loungers to
each of our
impose upon himself
the necessity of a discovery, or an original thought, before he
considered himself entitled to dine, that
torpor, so deadening to the natural capacities of his
mind, would soon give way to a which, were trast,
of
it
state
of activity,
only from the brightness of the con-
would be found highly agreeable,
to say
nothing
advantages, or of the elevating and refining
its
trains of
thought to which
it
would
necessarily give
rise.
I
know
mind
of nothing more likely to stimulate the
to healthy exertion,
and take
immediate track of commonplace sures, the
monotony of which
is
it
interests
fields
;
especially those
and
plea-
so oppressive, than
the study of natural history in some of
plored
out of the
its
least ex-
which recent discovery
and investigation have rendered
so
attractive
in
OCEAN G-ABDENS; connection with
how few
who
there are
made by
known
social
life,
the routine of fashion or habit natural history, even in
popular love of divisions,
in fact,
is,
yet,
seek that charming mode
monotony of
dissipating the dreary as it is
And
waters of the ocean.
tlie
of
such !
A best
its
of quite recent growth.
Indeed, the very existence of such a science has been, till
recently, altogether ignored in our great national
The
of learning.
seats
have done so much either openly
respect
—
to
lay bare
its
wonders, were
or treated with but small
ridiculed,
as useless
who
earnest investigators,
dreamers upon very smaU and
The very names
insignificant matters.
of such true
labourers in the mine of science as our glorious old naturalist
Ra)-,
indefatigable
or
Ellis,
his
follower
the
nature of Zoophytes,
first
Pulteney,
detector
or
the
of the true
who measured pens with
the
giant LinuEBus, received no academic honour; and those
of
their
rarely heard,
yet
undiscoiuraged
cither
in
our general public,
till
successors
our imiAersities
or
were
among
the vast discoveries of geo-
logy and other allied branches of science, in our own times, at last aroused attention to the importance of their investigations.
A
popular knowledge of that branch of natural
history
which
especially
concerns
our
seas
and
OE, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
shores, is indeed of very recent date.
in fact,
is
now beginning
but even
The
subject,
to develope itself
beneath the pens of an enterprising band of marine naturalists,
with such leaders as Johnston, Harvey,
John Edward Gray, the
and the
indefatigable Gosse,
revered shade of the lamented Forbes at their head.
A
knowledge even of the more
truly popular
accessible
regions of our woods and
more ancient
little
;
for,
till
Gilbert
fields,
is
but
White had
m.ade the story of such knowledge as attractive as
romance, in his " Natural History of Selborne," few guessed what an arena of ever discoveries
it
new
interests
and
presented.
Through the fascinating interpretation of the good Gilbert, many now understand the attraction of those branches of natural history which he so curiously investigated it is
as easy to
;
but few are willing
make
the
to
admit that
natural features of some
obscure fishing village, with no herbage on rocks,
and no bush, no blade of
grass,
seen or heard, equally interesting
them, that by
lifting
;
its
no bird
bare to
be
yet I can assure
even the mere border of that
great green curtain of the ocean, or by awaiting
unveihngs, as the retiring tide bears back
its
its
folds,
a host of wonders will be revealed, sufficient to stir
the most torpid
mind of the most
inactive idler
OCEAN GAEDENS, to
earnest and deeply inquiring
arouse
him
to their
ETC.
contemplation, and
devout admiration, as
among
the
most exquisite miracles of that creative and sustaining
Power which
is
the source of their existence.
CHAPTER
II.
THE FLOOR OF THE OCEAN.
The wonders
of the ocean floor do not reveal them-
As
selves to vulgar eyes. to sacrilegious listeners,
the oracle was inaudible
and
as
none but poetic ears
heard the cadenced beating of the feet that danced
haunted by the
to unearthly music, near the fountain
Muses of
classic fable
—
so,
none but the
initiated can
see the myriad miracles that each receding tide reveals
on the ocean mysterious
;
The
floor.
however,
initiation,
there are no dark rites to observe
Herculean labours
to
before entering upon
accomplish,
I
as
the noviciate,
have
which
not
is
at
—no said,
once
opens a large area of unexpected pleasures, and an
ample
field for
admiration and investigation.
elementary works carefully present
the
first
little
book
studied,
attentively perused,
helps towards seeing, at
or
A few
even
this
would supply
all events,
a portion
of the " wonders of the shore," as the brilliant author
of " Glaucus" has eloquently termed those revelations of the retiring deep. It is the seeing that is
everything.
But
let
none
;
OCEAJSr
despair of acquiring
wrote
The name of Colonel George Montague" Professor Edward Forbes),
that power.
the Devonshire squire, (thus
GARDENS
the late
"
become one of the greatest in the whole range of British science, had his whole career been devoted to marine physiology;" and that mainly be" might have
cause,
from a sincere devotion to a favourite pursuit
of his leisure, he acquired the art of seeing
sought by so few, though open to earnestly seek
aU who
art
will
it.
Each department of distinct
—an
kind of
sight.
science requires a separate and
The
astute
at a glance the precise state
merchant deciphers
of the most intricate
accounts, in the midst of thousands of seemingly conflicting figures
;
but of the thousand interesting and
wonderful things connected with the existence of the little
beetle
walk, he
is
that
crosses
his
path in his country
incapable of seeing any single particle.
But the despised entomologist, Avhom he has contemptuously observed turning over the stones at the road
side,
and peering curiously beneath them, could
him a tale of wonder, could preach him a sermon upon that tiny tjqoe, such as would assuredly develope many latent and unsuspected powers in his mind, that Avould enable him to see wonders where aU had previously been blank, and teach him that tell
BENEATH THE WATERS.
OR, GLIMPSES
there are things well worthy of investigation beyond
the region of money-making, and the attractive but
narrow
circle
racters,
ÂŁ
s.
distinguished by the fascinating cha-
d.
Those who cannot see Nature, who cannot
more than an unclean thing beetle, are like
obelisk,
who
see
in the Httle creeping
one gazing at the carved record of an
perceives, in the hierogl}'phic scarabaeus,
simply the sculptured figure of a beetle, and no
—they
more
as regards fields
of
"Egyptian darkness"
are in a state of
one of the highest and most enchanting
human
research.
But
acquired this rare though easy see Xature, even
are
art
an
to a
infinite
to those art,
who have
and learned
moderate extent
to
(for in that
number of degrees and grada-
tions), the aspect of the
ocean floor must present an
appearance as beautiful and strange, and seemingly as supernatural,
as
the wildest imagination could
depicture.
When
poets
woidd
travel,
in
their
inventive
flights, to other floating and revolving worlds !han
ours, they describe rosy skies, instead of azure,
Uke branching ghttering on every trees
pictures, in short, in
crystals,
with jewel-like
and
fruits
They present us vsdth which aU the ordinary aspects
stem.
of our planet are reversed, or metamorphosed, in the 11
;
OCEAJSr
aAEDENS
region of their invention; yet in their wildest and
most fanciful pictures they do not surpass in strangeness the wonders of the world beneath the sea.
On
the land,
we
have, as the ordinary aspect of
Nature, the green herbaceous mantle of the earth
below the
and the azure sky above; while a on the ocean
eye,
spectator, standing beneath the water floor,
woidd
would
see these features
see above
him a
more than reversed he :
liquid atmosphere of green,
and below, an herbage of red or of purple hue, exhibiting strange yet exquisite forms, such as no terrestrial vegetation
Roseate shrubs of
displays.
jointed stone, and arborets of filmy glass, and creatures fiUl of active, energetic
stranger
still,
life,
whose forms are
both in structure and in appearance;
mere worms, whose colours are gorgeous
as the tints
of the butterfly's wing, or the peacock's
tail,
or the
humming-bird's breast.
What
scenery
is
formed by those miniature
forests
of Delesseria sangttinea, so lovely in their tones of soft* rich
crimson;
and those
fan-like
shrubs,
crisply graceful tufts of the brightly tinted
gularly formed
of
Padma pavonia
Callithamnion arbuscula,
:
and
the sin-
the tree-like masses
the
delicate
JPtilota
plumosa, and the purple-tinted Corallines, forming themselves into those
OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE
"WATERS.
"Arboreta of jointed stone,"
by a recent poet. And then there are the high waving fronds of the grandly SO exquisitely described
graceful
Torphyra
vulgaris, the deep carmine of the
Iridcea eduUs, the nacreous tinges of the Chondrus crispus,
and the blood-red of the splendid JRhody-
menia lacmata, with
its
embroidered and lace-hke
edges- these, with the gorgeous tufts of the rich
purple Bangia, and other objects which form the elements of
still life
in a submarine landscape, surely
cannot be siirpassed, either for magnificence of colour or variety of structure.
But
to these features
—
extraordinary
must be added others more
^forms that the elder naturalists ima-
gined to be links between the animal and vegetable creation, but
which are now known
to
have no
affinity
whatever with plants, though they exhibit, under
many
aspects, all the appearance of
expanded flowers
of various hues, displaying the forms of the Carnation, the
Anemone, the Mesembryanthemum, and the
blos-
soms of other beautiful flowers whose names they These curiously beautiful Zoophytes, the wonderful Actiniae, exhibit every tone of colour, from purple and scarlet, to green and white, and might be
bear.
taken in their picturesquely placed groups for rare exotic flowers, planted among the rosy-tinted shrubs
OCEAN GARDENS; expressly to add the last touch of richness and effect
an ocean flower-show. Yet they are not flowers, but animals
to the scenery of
sters,
whose
—
are
seeming dehcate petals
sea
mon-
but their
thousand Briarean arms, disguised as the petals of a flower, as
and expanded
to seize the
unconscious victim
—
he passes near the beautiful form
the crater of a -solcano
by the closing
And
if
;
in which he
is
fatal to
him
as
soon engulphed
tentacles of his unsuspected enemy.
he pass not near enough for that deadly
floral
embrace, and escape the fatally beaiitiful petals, those pretty crimson tubercles that dot so gracefully the
seeming
stalk,
beneath the seeming flower, can shoot
forth a thread, armed, like the fisher's line, with a
barbed hook, which strikes and secures the distant prey; and so the unwary Annelid or lyifusory
captured and devoured.
In
this capacity the
actinea has been compared to Pope's spider, " Feels at each tTiread,
But then
and
is
Syren
who
along the Line."
lives
the lining thread of the Actinia (or of the
Cirriped, AAhich has a similar power)
the sensitive gossamer of the poet
But notwithstanding
these
is
is
a
fact,
while
a fiction.
ogre-like
attributes,
the lovely Actinia long deceived even our naturalists as to its true nature
—and of course the poets—from
OE, GLIMPSES
whom
his
BENEATH THE WATERS.
flower-like
disc
and petaloid tentacles
completely concealed his grosser nature.
Then, as
the tide recedes, he so meekly closes his beautiful
much
with so
oubliette,
like those
slirinking flowers
though they dared not of the night, that
it is
and looking
grace,
to look
that
close
so
at
much
eve,
as
on the black darkness
no wonder poets were beguiled,
and that the romantic Southey sings of the Actinia as of
some
lily
of the deep that, on the retiring of the
ocean, " Sinks
To add
down within
to the
its
purple stem to sleep."
wonders of
this strange landscape
come the creeping Nudibranchs and Tectibranchs, gliding over the gracefully waving Algce ; their elegant forms decorated with their external breathing
hke a
apparatus, so delicate and fragile, that
it
spectral star gliding above them,
hke the pale
skeleton of some
or
looks
deHcate flower, so fine are its milk-
white filaments, arranged nearly always in a symmetrical and star-like form. singular
And
and shadowy Medusce
then there are the
fioating past, in the
form of parachutes, vnth low suspended
cars, just as
though the science of ballooning had been carried to perfection under the sea; and that they were made of elastic glass, instead of
silk,
though richly fiushed
with iridescent and varying tinges, 15
sometimes of
OCEAN aAEDENS;
and anon of emerald green hues that seem added by some delicate process which the glassmetallic azure,
;
blowers above the water have not yet discovered.
Some
of these creatures are fragile as a soap-bubble,
which
to
their transparency
and prismatic
flashes of
them a curious resemblance and their ephemeral existence, dependent upon the will of exen an angry ripple of the element in which they live, is colour give
;
doubtless as brief.
The deep has even
its butterflies,
as well as the
land: for the fluttering of the fins of some small and brightly coloured fish has been compared to the action
of the wings of moths
—
as
have
also the locomotive
membranes of some of the animals of the univalve shells. Then there are minute phosphorescent animals, which represent the fire-flies of the south, pouring a living flood of light through the water as they
—some emitting
glide along
flashes, like floating
silvery,
and others golden
lamps that seem hurrying
to light
up the darkness of the far ocean depths. Even the worms are gorgeous and wonderful this
subaqueous world.
The
Serpulce,
radiating coronets of crimson braticMce
naria, with
its
;
in
with their the Fecti-
golden comb, glittering in burnished
brightness; and the Nereis, with white and crimson stripes
—
are all wonderful as well as beautiful objects.
OR, GLIMPSES
But the Salithea,
named
Lamarck has
or sea-goddess, as
from the extraordinary beauty and the
it,
gorgeous
BENEATH THE WATERS.
that
colotu's
with which
from the
radiate
clothed, surpasses
it is
them
silky hairs
all.
These, and other wonders of stUl greater beauty,
wUl reward the persevering student who learns to see them but then he must learn. Even the intellectual ;
giant, Shakspeare, could not see clearly
many
of the
In his linQ upon the
minuter things of Nature.
slow-worm, for instance, vulgarly called the blind-
worm, which he describes "
The
are concentrated
eyeless,
as
venomed worm,"
two mistakes
in the first place, the
:
this little creature are brilliant in the
minute eyes of
extreme, and not very diificult to discover, to the naturalist
who
has learnt to observe Nature
the second place,
it
perfectly harmless.
has no venom,
it
is
and, in
tiny bite being
In another place he speaks of
"The blind-worm's
But
its
;
useless to multiply
siological errors of great
stinff."
examples of the phy-
men who had
not learned
MUton's errors in regard to the leaf of the Banyan-tree, and many others, might be to see
Nature
readily cited.
;
or
;
OCEAJif
There
aAHDENS
have endeavoured
are, as I
to
show,
glorious things to he seen in the ocean, but to learn to see
see with their
them
own
;
many
we
ha^"e
and those who find they cannot
eyes,
gifted sense of others.
must do
so
through the more
—how
To many
guided by an able cicerone
—the
fields
many, un-
round Selborne
would appear common and uninterestiag enough but ;
guided by a Gilbert White, whose searching eye knew
where
to
seek the hidden forms of plants, whose
ear at once distinguished and classified the song of bii'ds,
and even the buzz of
him, thiags assume a far
diff'erent
insects
aspect
— guided ;
by
like another
Prospero, he waves his wand, and every object begins to brighten,
tures
fea-
develope themselves under the magic of his
descriptions as
and a thousand new and beautiful
;
crowds of marvels springing up around,
from enchanted ground.
In like manner, guided
by the fascinating science of a Johnston or a Harvey, or the persuasive industry of a Gosse, or the elo-
quently glowing descriptions of a Kingsley, students,
who have not
the energy or leisure to
selves, will find the
work
for them-
dark ocean glow with an unex-
pected light ; and the charmed explorer will long for the power to renew the impressions of his sea-side
rambles after his return to his inland home, perhaps in the heart of a densely populated city.
Even
this
OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH
TECE
WATEES.
he may now do through the medium of the marine
Aquarium, within the narrow boiindaries of which he may, with a little care and experience, estabhsh in healthy existence some of the most beautiful of the
animal and vegetable forms that people the caves and depths
of the
ocean,
region of wonders.
making
its
watery world a
CHAPTER
III.
THE AQUARIUM.
JHE
successful treatment of aquatic plants
and animals, in the confined space of a
Aquarium, depends covery that there exists in
entirely
glass
upon the
dis-
Nature a self-adjusting
balance between the supply of oxygen created in
water with the quantity consumed by aquatic animals.
Without the knowledge of these facts, and the principles by which they are regulated, it would ha^ e been impossible to establish such a marine Aquarium as that
we may now any day examine
Park; where, in a few size,
we may
see
in the Regent's
glass tanks of very moderate
examples of some of the most curious
forms of animal and vegetable depths of the ocean
—forms
so
life
peculiar to the
singular,
that their
wonder little less intense than that which must have been caused, long years ago, by the first public display of the mountain form of the elephant to the people of cold
first
exhibition created a sense of
northern countries
;
and much more
so
than the recent
introduction of the giraffe or liippopotamus, although.
OCEAN GARDENS, till
ETC.
the beginning of the present century, they
had
never been seen in Europe since the days of the
Romans. Those
principles, the
knowledge of which was
requisite to enable us thus to
view the wonders of
the ocean in their living state in an Aquarium, were
not mastered at once, or by one man, or in one generation.
animal
The nature
and vegetable
founded, was
first
of certain relations between
upon which they are advanced by Priestley, towards life,
the close of the last century,
who proved
that plants
give forth the oxygen necessary to animal
The
life.
learned Ingenhauss, a native of Breda, but
who
prin-
cipally resided in England, defined this principle
more
clearly, in a
work the
title
stiU.
of which pretty fully
explains the entire nature of his discovery.
It
was
published in French, at Leyden, in 1778, and in
London, in English, in 1779. is
before me, the
title
lated, " Experiments
The French
of which
upon
may be
Plants,
edition
thus trans-
which prove
their
important influence in the purification of the atmospheric air sun,
when
they are exposed to the rays of the
and the contrary
results
which ensue when they
are placed in the shade, or during the night."
The
action of the sun's rays in disengaging the oxygen
generated in plants
is
thus clearly announced, and
GARDENS;
OCEAJSr
one of those which
the knowledge of this principle
is
have mainly conduced,
said, to the successful
as I
have
estahlishment of Aquaria.
In the course of his essay Ingenhauss
states, stiU
immersed in water," when exposed to the action of light, emit an air which he announces as oxygen gas; and this idea is the key-
more
directly, that plants "
stone of the Aquarium.
But, although the discovery of Ingenhauss at
once rendered the thing practicable. Aquaria did not then come into fashion. history
was not
The
science of natural
at that time sufficiently advanced;
for the specimens,
even in public museums, were
merely heterogeneous collections, assembled without the slightest regard to useful purpose,
classification,
A stufi'ed
or any other
cat with nine legs, stood,
perhaps, next to a bottled snake, followed
by
the
skin of a crocodile, to be succeeded in turn by a very
moth-eaten specimen of a King Charles spaniel, " sup-
upon good authority, to have belonged to Nell Gwynne." A few scores of such objects, with the
posed,
addition
of
an ostrich egg and a few
sea-shells,
without any attempt at name or description, formed,
with a few strildng exceptions, a very respectable
museum in
those times
;
and we may therefore easUy
conceive that (in so far as experiments illustrative of
OE, GLIJIPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
natural science were concerned) the suggestions of
Ingenhauss remained tolerably dormant.
was not
It
tUl
year
the
Daubeny communicated,
1833
that
Professor
to the British Association at
Cambridge, a paper concerning some new researches prosecuted in the same direction; and not tUl 1837 that Mr.
Ward became
the
first
any purpose analogous
ciple to
to
apply the prin-
to that of the
In that year he made a report
rium.
Aqua-
to the British
Association, on the hermetically closed glass cases in
which he had succeeded in growing many plants,
and keeping them in a healthy
any fresh supply of
air.
He
state
the
first
without
same time,
stated, at the
would
his belief that certain classes of animals
and thrive under
classes of
live
This was
similar circumstances.
direct hint towards the formation of a closed
Vivarium, whether atmospheric or aquatic.
In 1842, Dr. Johnston true vegetable nature their
growth in a
thus was
of
satisfactorily
Corallines,
proved the
by observing
vessel containing sea- water;
established the
first
true Aquarium,
and
With
the experimental tuft of Coralline was a small frond
of a green
JJlva,
and numerous Sissoce,
etc.,
and
several Annelids afterwards appeared, having been,
no doubt, attached
to the branches of the Coralline,
At
or the fronds of the Ulva. !3
the end of four Aveeks
;
OCEAN G-AEDENS the water was
animals
alive,
still
pure,
Molluscs and other
the
and the Confervse grown; the Coral-
having thrown out several additional articuAfter eight weeks, the water still remained
line itself lations.
But had any animal, of even the lowest
sweet. order,
been
so confined,
without the accompanying
presence of vegetables giving
oxygen, aU of that
off'
a quantity of water
vital gas contained in so small
would have been quickly exhausted, and the water would have become corrupt, ammoniacal, and poisonous to the
life
of any living thing.
But the author
of this experiment had not in view the testing of the possibility of preserving the
forms of ocean Ufe in a
healthy state in confinement
;
to
settle
an important
his business
classification of the Corallines
had been
connected with the
point
and ha^dng
;
fully decided that question, the
success-
embryo Aquarium
was abandoned. In 1849 Mr.
Ward
stated, at
a meeting of the
British Association at Oxford, that
he had succeeded,
not only in growing sea-weeds in sea-water, but in sea-water artificially made.
1850,
Mr.
R.
On
the
4th of June,
Warrington communicated
Chemical Society a
series
of
observations
to
the
on the
adjustment of certain relations between the animal and vegetable kingdoms, still more important to Our 24
OR, GLIMPSES
present purpose. in
a glass
BENEATH THE WATEES.
Two
receiver,
small gold-fish were placed
a small
spiralis being planted
plant of
the same time in
at
earth, beneath a layer of sand in the
All went
on
Avell
by
Valisneria
this
same
arrangement,
some vessel.
without
any necessity for changing the water; the oxygen given
ofi"
by the plant proving
the supply of
its
itself sufficient for
animal co-tenants, and the water
therefore remaining clean
and pure,
until
some de-
caying leaves of the Valisneria caused turbidity, and confervoid growth began to accumulate on the sides
To remedy
of the vessel.
this evil,
Mr. Warring-
ton brought to bear the results of previous observations on water in natural ponds under analogous
circumstances their results,
;
and, guided by these observations and
he placed a few common pond-snails in
the vessel containing his gold-fish and plant of Valisneria.
The new
upon their introduction, began to feed greedily upon the decaying vegetable matter, and all was quickly restored to a healthy state. They proved, indeed, of stUl further advantage, for the masses of eggs which they deinmates, immediately
posited evidently presented a kind of food natural to the fishes,
which was eagerly devoured by them,
so that the snails
became not only the scavengers
OCEAN GAEDENS; but
And
also the feeders of the little colony.
first
of true Aquaria prospered;
the
so this
animals and
plants proving of mutual value and support to each
The
other.
snails disposed of the decaying leaves,
which would have tainted the water and rendered it
unfit for the healthy existence of the plant, and
the plant in turn gave forth, under the rays of sunlight, the
supply of oxygen necessary to both
fish
and
snails.
In January, 1852, Mr. Warrington commenced series of similar
were, at
first,
not so satisfactory, but in the end
proved as entirely successful.
In the course of
his
experiments, he found the red and brown AlgtB, sea-weed,
less
than the green.
a
experiments with sea-water; which
or
proper for the formation of oxygen
Of
the latter class he procured
cimens of Enteromorpha compressa and Ulva
spe-
latis-
sima, which he chiselled from the rocks about Broad-
along with the pieces of chalk or
stau's,
which they
Avere attached
;
and,
when he
own marine Aquarium, he put
in his
them,
to
represent
the
pond-snails
water tank, some of the
known proved,
as the it
common
flint
to
placed them
in along with in
the fresh-
sea-snail,
Periwinkle [Littorina littorea).
better
These
appears, insufiicient for the destruction of
the mucous and gelatinous matter that arose from 26
OE, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATEES.
the rapid decay of nearly
all
however, I have no doubt
the red sea-weeds, which,
may
equal success with the green
yet be cultivated with this has, indeed,
;
been
subsequently proved by their successful culture by
Mr. Alford Lloyd. Under the then existing however,
was found necessary
difficulty,
to aerate the
water
by other means, many processes being equally
avail-
able
;
it
such as injecting fresh water from a syringe,
or estabhshing a drip, of some height, from a vessel
containing a supply of entirely fresh Avater.
Warrington experiments,
Mr.
also discovered, in the course of these
the
necessity
that
the
light
should
pass directly through the surface of the water to
the plants, as in natural ponds and seas
—a
very im-
portant step in the successful management of Aquaria
and he therefore had a side of his
;
slab of slate adjusted to the
tank which stood next to the
light, to pre-
vent the sun-rays from penetrating to the plants in a lateral direction.
These successful experiments, both in fresh-water and marine Aquaria, assign to Mr. Warrington, beyond
dispute,
the
credit
of being the practical
originator, or inventor, if the
term
may be
so used,
of these charming additions to our conservatories, corridors,
and even living-rooms,
certainly
a
much more
to
attractive 27
which they are and instructive
OCEAN aABDENS; addition than the old globe of blank water, with
its
swimming round and round
in
pair
of
gold-fish
ceaseless gyrations, tiresome to behold, in the vain
hope of escaping from their glaring
and incon-
which they would inevitably have perished very shortly but for the daily change of venient prison
;
in
water, which, previous
to
onr knowledge of
air-
emitting plants and their use, was absolutely necessary.
But
another
Mr.
field.
experimentalist was
whose
Gosse,
now
in
the
charming works upon
Aquaria, and other subjects connected with natural science,
have perhaps made his name more widely
kno-ivn than that of his predecessor,
commenced a
series of
Mr. Warrington,
experiments on the subject
of the marine Aquarium, about the same time as the
last-named gentleman, in the beginning of January, 1852. plete
in
His attempts were croAvned with such comsuccess,
he was induced
that
communication
with
to
put himself
Mr. David Mitchell,
the
enterprising Secretary of the Zoological Society, the result
of which was the removal of the collection
of Annelids and Zoophytes
which Mr. Gosse had
formed, to the gardens of the Society in the Regent's
Park,
Avhere
it
formed the nucleus from
which has grown the magnificent
series of
Aquaria
;
BENEATH THE WATEES.
OR, GLIMPSES
in
tlie
tion.
building recently constructed for their recep-
These marine Aquaria
subject of public
a.s
at
once became a
well as private interest, and the
Aquarium house was so crowded daily with its curious visitors, that it became difficult to get a glimpse of the wonders of the " ocean floor," and denizens,
which were
its
zoophytic
so successfully exhibited there
and untiring
principally through the skilful aid
;
in-
dustry of Mr. Gosse, through whose hands above five
thousand specimens passed at the time, collected
at
the request of the Zoological Society.
In his interesting record
of
his
early
essays,
Mr. Gosse gives us many valuable particulars concerning his successive experiments, and the various
disappointments to which he was at
many
of
them from causes now
subjected
too well understood
His principal
to require repetition.
first
difficulty arose
from over-crowding, although his tank did not appear, as
he
states,
too
much
fiUed.
Another disappoint-
ment was caused by putting in animals before the smell of the putty, with which the glass sides were fixed,
had
sufficiently
gone
oif.
Mr. Gosse's tank was made with a slate bottom, and birch pillars, in which were grooves to receive the glass
;
and
its
dimensions were, two feet long by
one foot six wide, the depth not being mentioned. 29
—
;
OCEAN aAEDENS
Taking these dimensions be easy
will
to conceive,
which
specimens
Aquariimi
is
into
when
consideration,
the following
list
Gosse introduced into
Mr.
it
of
his
examined, that his population was too
dense for the extent of his province, although the space might not have appeared too
picturesque
effect.
Of
troduced at once the following 1.
A
much
fiUed for
vegetable specimens, he in-
tuft of Furcellaria fdsti-
:
7.
Several masses of Corallina
8.
One GriffitJisia setacea. One Delesseria alata. One Plocamiuin coccineum. One Phylopliora rubens. One Zostera marina.
giata.
officinalis.
2.
Two
oi Wiodi/menia palmata.
3.
One
of Dictyota dicliotoma.
4.
A
small Fucus serratus.
5.
One Laminaria
6.
Two
9.
10. 11.
digitata.
tufts of Fadiiiapavonia.
12.
In a few days the water in wliich these specimens
were placed became- clear pale green
tmge being
too slight to obscure the colour
of any object seen through
From
as pale green crystal, the
its
medium.
these weeds alone, before any supply of
Zoophytes or Molluscs were intentionally added, a
whole host of minute animal hfe swarmed forth; some, doubtless, issuing from eggs newly hatched; others from the shelter of the matted ramifications
of some of the sea-weeds, in which they taken, as in a net.
Among
these
had been
swarming
crea-
— OR, GLIMPSES
tures
BENEATH THE WATEES.
were Annelids of the genus
other minute
Syllis, Hissoce,
and
but principally Isopodous
shell-fish,
and Entomostracotis Crustacea, many of them being so minute as not to be perceived without the use of a powerful
Of two list
lens.
the animals next placed in this tank, of only
feet
by one
given
foot six inches, the following
is
the
:
FISH. 1.
Fifteen, Spined Stickleback
.
.
2.
Seven, Grey Mullet (young)
.
.
3.
One, Black Goby
capita.
Qobious niger.
4.
One, Corkwing
5.
One, jFive-bearded Eockling
6.
One, Great Pipe-fish (young)
7.
One,
Worm
Qasterosteus spinachia.
Mugil
Crenilabrus cornubicus. .
.
Motella 5-cirrata.
.
.
Syngnathus acus. Syngnathus lumbriformis.
Pipe
SHELLS, MOLLrSCS, ETC. 1.
Two, Ashy Top
Trochus cinerarius.
2.
One, Navel Top
Trochus mnbiUcatus.
3.
Three,
4.
Three, Tellow Periwinkle
5.
One, Purple
Common
Perivrinkle
6.
One, Scrobicularia.
7.
One, Anomia.
8.
Two,
Common
9.
Two,
Ascidia.
Cockle
.
.
.
Littoriiia littorea.
.
.
.
Littorina
....
littoralis.
Purpura
lapillus.
Cardivm
eduJe.
CEUSTACEA, ETC. 1.
Two, Hermit Crab
2.
One,
.
.
.
ditto
.
•
31
Fagurus BernJiardus. Pagurus PriJeauxii.
— OCEAN GAEDENS;
....
3.
Pour, Sand Shrimp
4. 5.
One Prawn Three, Crown
6.
Three, AVTiite-line
1.
Two, Thick-horned Anemone
2.
Three,
.
Cragnon
vulgaris.
Palcemon serratus.
Worm Worm
Serpula triquetra.
....
Nereis hilineata.
ZOOPHYTES.
Weymouth Anemone Two, Parasitic Anemone Six, Plumose Anemone Five, Daisy Anemone
.
.
.
.
.
.
....
3. 4. 5.
Actinia crassicornis. Actinia clavata. Actinia parasitica. Actinia dianthus. Actinia
bellis.
There were thus above seventy specimens, animal
and vegetable, already in the tank,
Avithout counting
the swarms of smaller creatures, some the young of large species, daily increasing in size
experimentahst,
;
yet our bold
anxious, like another Napoleon, to
conquer his "Russia"
at
poured in fresh specimens.
one grand invasion, .still
These consisted
of:
risH. 1.
One, ^32quorial Pipe-fish
....
Sijngnatlius cequoreus.
MOLLrSCS, CECSTACEAXS, ETC. 1.
BENEATH THE WATERS.
OR, GLIMPSES 9.
One, Hermit (small)
10. Three, Lobster
Pagurus.
Prawn
Athanas
nilesoens.
STAB-riSH, ETC. 1.
One, Brittle Star
OpMocoma
2.
One, Eyed Cribella
Crihella oculata.
3.
Two, Scarlet Sun-Star
Solaster pwpposa.
4.
One
Palmipes membranaceiis.
Bird's-foot Star
....
5.
Three, Gibbous Starlet
6.
One, Purple-tipped Urchin
7.
Seven, Scarlet Madrepore
8.
Three, Cloak
.
rosula.
Asterina gibhosa.
.
.
Echinus
.
.
Balanophillia regia.
Anemone
miliwris.
Adamsia palliata.
These additions brought the collection np
to
above
a hundred specimens, and no doubt the tank
made
a glorious show; but Mr. Gosse, though the Napoleon of his specialty, was forced to acknowledge that there was an " impossible."
was superb, and
Although
his collection
his interesting tank did not look
over-crowded, yet he soon discovered that a forbidden limit
had been passed, and that the
creatures of the
—of
their native ele-
ocean that have yards
ment
to their
—
^fathoms
own separate
share, cannot
accommodate
themselves to the allotment system, in the proportion of a square inch to each individual.
To remedy
this state of things, the evil effects of
which soon became apparent, artificial aeration was resorted to, by means of another vessel, which kept up
OCEAN GABDENSj a continuous supply of dripping fresh water. But even this assistance did not enable the crowded
In the
colony to exist more than ten days.
many
there were
place,
first
which
predatory species,
destroyed their associates; these kinds must, there-
be excluded from an Aquarium, or kept in
fore,
But,
separate tank.
after all,
the
oxygen was
providing a sufficient supply of dently
The
evi-
failure.
Univalves and smaller Crustacea disappeared
smeU giving
a disagreeable
first,
was
decay
going
under the
;
The
first
the
intimation that that
creatures
etc.,
signs
at the
bottom of
of unpleasant
from the tank must, therefore, be
attended to
;
and, in such
cases, the
the
efiluvia
carefully
Aquarium ought
be immediately searched for the cause
when
had
of them, died in concealment,
stones, weeds,
Aquarium. rising
on
many
perished having,
to
and principal cause of
great
the
a
impossibility of
;
which,
discovered, should be carefully removed.
^Ir.
Gosse having taken out the whole of
the
specimens, dead and alive, and carefully cleansed the tank, a
much
smaller
number was put
in,
which,
being well selected, and having sufficient space, throve
abundantly
weU
was
amply rewarded
at last
exertion-s.
;
and the ingenious experimentahst for
aU
his persevering
This result benefited others as well
as
Plate. XII.
:
OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATEES.
himself, for a general taste suddenly arose for this
kind of pursuit, arising mainly from the various works which soon appeared on the subject; and, to gratify the new taste, a host of dealers in Aquaria also sprung
who
up,
aU of them driving a brisk and
are
profitable
trade.
The first experiments of Mr. Gosse sufficiently poiat out the kind of cautions to be observed in the formation
The
of a marine Aquarium.
vessel itself
either quite plain in its framework, as
XL,
or
made more
if necessary,
The
of the
may be in Plate
or less ornamental, to assimilate,
with surrounding objects or furniture.
rustic style of
been found
shown
frame designed in Plate XII. has
to accord well
Aquarium
itself,
with the general character
and
it
produces an agreeable
contrast with the usual forms of the furniture of our
ordinary sitting-rooms.
Those made by the dealers are generally formed with
slate floors
mountings
;
and backs, and zinc columns and
the smallest and most simple, about fifteen
inches long by ten inches broad, costing from a guinea
and those of the proportion of two feet by one foot six, costing from two pounds A small syphon will be found ten to three pounds. to twenty-five shillings,
remove a portion of the water, if required, without disturbance and also a syringe, in useful, in order to
;
35
OCEAW GARDENS; order to aerate the water
when
necessary, if a second
reservoir of fresh water, in a suitable position, should
A
not be convenient.
miniature landing-net
is also
useful for the removal of decaying matter, or occasionally the living specimens,
when any change may be
required.
A
layer of sand
deep, placed
and pebbles, about three
upon the
slate flooring, is the first step
towards arranging the interior of the tank. this
inches
Upon
beginning, removing portions of the sand and
stones,
where required in
basis, the
to procure a firm
places,
rockwork may be built
;
which should be
picturesque and fanciful in character, as partially sug-
gested in the two Plates, leaving miniature archways
and caves
for the shelter of such creatures as
light, either constantly or occasionally.
sition of the
pleasing
Such a dispo-
efi'ects
to the pictorial composition.
are generally tasteless enough.
the better, as
it
entails
sity of providing his
which
eifort of
is
own
at all times
These
much attended to by dealers,
whose arrangements of the Aquaria they
it,
the
rock imparts, at the same time, many
matters are not, however,
all
shun
But
offer for sale
that
is
perhaps
upon the amateur the necestaste, instead of
purchasing
both a useful and pleasant
mind, and which, moreover, leaves, after each
period of exertion, a permanent trace of an increased
OE, GLIMPSES
refinement,
BENEATH THE WATEES.
which inevitably influences
the wliolc
character.
In the distribution of the rocks, I would always allow at least one point to project above the water, in order to afford the opportunity to those animals
whose
them to seek occasional exposure the means of gratifying it by that contriv-
instincts lead
to the aix
have thought, indeed, of constructing a kind of double Aquarium, and perfecting an arrangement
ance.
I
by means of which a large portion of water should flow gradually from one tank to the other at fixed periods,
and flow of the tide. phenomena would be exhibited
Many
in imitation of the ebb interestiag
in this
manner, such as the closing of the Actmice water receded, and their expansion as
on
its
return
;
full of interest
it
as the
covered them
accompanied by a host of other
and
instruction.
effects
This alternation, too,
might be found highly advantageous
to the health
and development of the animals whose natural habitat lies between high and low water-mark, and whose constitution
is
therefore framed to require entire or
partial exposure to the air at certain intervals of time.
I also prefer, as preserving a similar set of analogies,
a sloping bottom, similar to that of the coast. instance, if the slate
next the
light,
For
back of the Aquarium be placed
which is
its
proper position, as the hght 37
;
OCEA^ GAKDENS ought
to penetrate the
water entirely through
or horizontal surface, then I
would
fill
its
upper
the side next
the slate back nearly to the top with pieces of rock,
gradually reducing their height,
till,
at the other side,
they should hardly rise above the floor of sand and pebbles, leaving, at
last,
a
portion of the pebbly
flat
or sandy bottom quite level.
When
this
form of rockwork
Aquarium should be
is
decided upon, the
of rather wider proportions than
usual, in order to allow of the slope being pretty
Supposing the tank
gradual.
of a spare window,
which
looks exceedingly well,
found
to
is
to
fill
enthely the recess
a position in which
a solid slate back
may
darken the vessel or the room too much
;
it
be in
such a case, a glass back must be preferred, which can be shaded from the direct influence of the Hght
by a blue the frame tial,
or green shade of calico neatly fitted to ;
and
that the
it
must be borne in mind,
Aquarium must be
so placed
receive the direct rays of light during
the day, being slightly screened too powerful it
would be
miniature
;
as,
should the
fatal to
many
as essen-
when
as to
some part
of
sun
is
the
water become
tepid,
of the inhabitants of the
sea.
With due observance of these precautions, the amateur may hope to frame and establish an Aqua-
OE, aLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATEES.
rium in a suitable form, and the reception of of the
its
inmates
;
in a suitable position for
an account of which, and
manner of their introduction
ject of the ensuing chapters.
will
form the sub-
CHAPTEE
IV.
THE VEGETATION OF THE MARINE AQUARIUM. S the
forest
must be planted before
zens can luxuriate in "
the
its
its deni-
shades, so
submarine shrubbery of the
Aquarium must be perfected the aquatic
For
it
before
animals can be introduced.
has been shown, in tracing the
tory of the experiments
which
his-
resulted in
the estabhshment of the principles that regulate the formation of Aquaria, that it
by
is
plants only that a supply of oxygen can be kept up,
suiRcient for
forms of animal
the health and existence of life
beneath the water.*
all
It
necessary, also, that the rays of sunhght should
is
fall
upon the foliage directly through the surface of the water and when an Aquarium, with its plants, is ;
placed
in
a
position to receive the light
manner, their fronds
may be
in this
observed giving forth
* Analogous principles are at work in
oiit fields
and
forests,
but we have now only to do with the submarine production oxygen.
of
;
OCEAIf GAEDEKS, ETC.
the
gas in small silvery bubbles and coruscations,
which have a
brilliant
Some marine
and gem-like appearance.
plants appear to
much
succeed
better than others, but I beheve that happens only
from their treatment being imperfectly understood
and
I
believe not
only that aU the
beautiful marine Algce of our
own
successfully grown, but also that the
exquisitely
shores
may be
more splendid
varieties of the tropical seas
may be made
in properly heated Aquaria,
and thus form one of
to thrive
—one
the most attractive features of our hothouses that has not yet been dreamed
of.
am now treatname first those species of sea-weed recommended by Mr. Gosse and others as most easily cultivated, but I shall also point out many other species, which I feel convinced may be successfully grown under proper management; and they certainly deserve every effort that can be made to establish them in Aquaria, as they are among In ordinary Aquaria, such as I
ing of, I shall
the most beautiful of their tribe.
Most of the dealers,
but
plants
if collected
named may be purchased by
of
the amateur himself, care
must be taken to detach a portion of the substance very to which they are growing, and they must be carefully packed in damp refuse sea-weed, and kept
;
OCEAN aARDENSj out of their native element as short a time as possible.
The
plants in most flourishing condition in the
marine tanks of the Zoological Gardens, were of
those
first
Chlorospermatous
the
order,
others have since succeeded nearly as well.
at
but
Plants
of Ulva and Conferva have always done very well
but the most successful growth has been that of a plant of the genus JBryopsis^ which entirely envelop-
ing a large stone in
mossy and almost
its
like foliage, produces a very beautiful
Those unlearned in
scientific
names
feather-
appearance.
will
be glad,
perhaps, to learn that beautiful Algce of this
named genus Bryon
derive their
(^pvov),
title
last-
from two Greek words,
a moss, and opsis (o^'?), a resem-
blance, from their likeness to some of the most deh-
and
cate
feather-like
Bry opsis plumosa
delineation of
extreme
The
mosses of our woods.
in Plate II., on the
near the lower part of the Plate, wiU
left
convey some idea of these elegant sea-weeds.
Chondrus crispus the
suited
to
under
ledges
pendent olive
;
a beautiful plant, and It vidll
weU
often be found
of rock, completely concealed by a
veil of
weed
is
Aquarium.
Fucus, commonly
known
as the
and, on lifting the tangled mass of
rank growth, many
beautiful 4S,
and unexpected
its
plants
OE, aLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
are frequently found, but none strike the explorer
more than the
Chondrus.
Its nacreous
tints, like
those of a pearl shell, varying wonderfully according to
being
situation,
very
remarkable.
It
Carrageen Moss of the herb market.
the
is
This plant
forms the principal object in the lower part of Plate IV., to the right.
Laurencia pinnatifolia plant, also varying in
in
which
when it
it
grows.
a pretty branching
is
hue according
In the shade,
to the aspect
it is
purple
;
but
receiving the full influence of the sun's rays,
assumes a light yellow tone
podium, known
grown
;
just
as the
I/y co-
as Fortune's Moss, is purple
when
in the darkest part of a room, but becomes of
an ordinary green tone when placed near the light.
The Lanrencia
is
for
some time
shown at the upper
part of Plate V., coloured pale violet.
The splendid plant Rhodymenia palmata, with its
finely
coloured, semi-transparent fronds,
recommended.
It is the
Dulse or
is
also
Dellis, eaten
by
the inhabitants of our northern coasts as a delicacy.
R. lacinata, forms the specimen to Its light crimson fronds, which of Plate V.
Another the left
species,
are semi-transparent, produce a very pleasing efiect.
Mr. Gosse
tells
us that the
Rhodymenia palmata
not suited to an Aquarium, because
it
is
appears to
OCEAI^ GARDENS;
require the motion of the sea, and soon begins to
decay in
If that be the case, let us
water.
still
attempt to provide a remedy, for this beautiful Alga is
one of the most beautiful among
When
congeners.
Amazon
the to
flower in
home,
Duke But
Chatsworth.
first
tank
the
the
at
was
river
all
lovely
its
a plant of the gigantic introduced,
provided for
it
its
lily
of
refused
northern
Devonshire's residence at
of
Joseph Paxton, who then
Sir
directed the floricultural operations of that magni-
was not discouraged; and seeking
ficent abode,
impart to the
still
to
water of the reservoir something
of the motion of a deep and majestic river, he contrived that a small but continuous stream of supply
should, as
it
action of
which imparted a
entered, turn a small paddle-wheel, the
tion to the water of the
gentle, undulating
formed and expanded house which graceful
plan
creation
of
despair,
beautiful
The
its
its
The
whole tank.
was triumphant, and the glorious
the
therefore,
device
Victoria regia
giant flowers in the elegant
curator had constructed for
of
mo-
it,
which eventually suggested " Crystal
Mhodymenia palmata
successfully in
the
Let us not
Palace."
of cultivating
the
the
our Aquaria.
construction of a suitable apparatus for impart-
ing motion to the too
still 44
waters
vidll
form a
plea-
Plate
1.
Delt'SserlaBaiiRUinea. 4.
2.
I.
runctarialalifolia.
Vaucheria submnriiia,
n.
3. CliDrUuriatlagellifoi'mis.
llildrnhrandtia rubra.
a
OE, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
sant passetemps for some of om- fair admirers of the
pursmts of the Aquarium
and
;
But
be a signal triumph.
would
at present the beautiful
red weeds, in general, are
and when they begin
their success
difficult of
cultivation,
to exhibit spots of orange^
vegetable plague-spot not to be mistaken
symptom of decay which should
—
it
—
is
a
at once cause their
removal from the Aquarium, before their decomposition leads to further mischief.
The common
Coralline, Corallina officinalis, of
which a small spray lower part of
is
Plate
represented in the extreme
V.,
near the centre,
" arboret of jointed stone," alluded to
and
the
is
by the
poet,
well suited to Aquaria, thriving with httle
is
trouble.
The
suitable
but care must be taken,
;
smaller
and slenderer kind in
also
is
collecting,
not to choose the detached white fragments, which are
washed up with every
the
skeletons
specimens,
of the
tide, for
plant.
It
is
they are the
only
rosy-tinted
verging to violet and purple,
and
stUl
attached to pieces of rock, that are alone in a living state,
and
The able,
fit
to
remove
to the
Aquarium.
CladophorcB are also stated to be very suit-
C. rupestris being a very useful plant for the
purpose.
It is of a bluish green, that harmonizes
well with the tone of the sea-water, and
fills
up
;
OCEAN GARDENS chasms in the
little
effect,
artificial
rocks with very good
especially in contrast with the reddish purple
tufts of
Polysiphonia arceolata, which do well in an
Aquarium, and are a great aid marine landscape.
little
to the
The
foliage of the
elegant, fan-formed,
and brightly radiated JPacUna pavonia mentioned, and should at tufts of that graceful
all
is
likewise
events be tried, as the
marine plant form very singular
as well as beautiful objects in the tank.*
would
I
also
recommend the
trial of all the plants
delineated in the five Plates devoted to the sea-weeds in this little book.
In Plate with
I.,
the
first,
occupying the upper
leaf-like fronds of transparent
uncommon
beautiful and not sangtiinea. right,
is
The its
sea-weed,
the
Delesseria
latifolia, thin as tissue paper,
and
pale bufi" surface with bright but
minute grains of black.
To
the left
Chorda ria flagelUforniis, the rich
is
a branch of
6\i\c of
contrasts well with the red kinds of Algce. front, growini4'
part,
is
delicate pale plant below, to the
Tunctaria
speclded over
crimson,
on a detached pebble,
is
which In the
the Lichen-
Hke Hildeiihi'aiuUia rubra, rich with tinges of deep carmine, Avhich might be made to form an exquisite *
A list of the plants
Aquarium
is
with which ^Mr. Gosse furnished his
given iu Chapter III.
first
Plate
II.
Eryopsia plumoBa.
5.
LeatheBiaBerkleyl.
Ranjriafusco-purpurea.
3.
1.
Callithamnion arbuficula.
6.
iJiminaria phyllitie.
Codiom tomentosum.
4,
2.
OR, GLIMPSES
touch of colour,
and
to the
BENEATH THE WATEES. placed in the Aquarium
if tastefully
extreme right
is
;
a small tuft of Vaucheria
submarina.
In Plate the Plate,
II.,
the principal object, near the top of
a bush of
is
which receives
Callithamnion arbuscula,
specific
its
name from
the tree-Hke
which it assumes more distinctly than any other Behind it, to the right, are the and graceful forms, with their crimped edges,
aspect
of the marine Algce. tall
Laminaria
of the slender
to the right, is a
distinguished
by
Below,
phyllitis.
still
branch of Codium tomentosum, its
edging of delicate
light,
ciliae,
vivid
and the
green,
which have the appearance
of a border of paler green, to every branchlet. to the right, in the
extreme foreground,
is
Still
a broken
piece of rock, on which plants of the curious Leathesia Berkleyi have grown, like
con^-ex
kernels
To the left, are the red violet tufts of the Bangia fusco-purpurea, and behind them a branch of bronze.
of Bryopsis plumosa.
In Plate
III.,
the bright green feathery plant in
the extreme background
and behind
it,
is
;
the violet-toned, antler-like fronds of
Nemaleon muUifida.
The
frond of rich purple, vrith fronds
JEctocarpus siliculosus
large, gracefully
bending
narrower and younger
springing from the same root,
is
Porphyra
;
OCEAN GARDENS vulgaris, one of the commonest, but most splendid
of our sea-weeds, with which, in combination with
other plants of suitable contrast, the vegetation of
the it
Aquarium may be rendered
can be successfully cultivated
doubt,
when
its
with
frilled edge, is
most elegant pale
bufi",
its
The
finely
marked
plant
black maculations and richly
Nitophyllum pimctatum, one of our
species, in front of
which
is
the curious
tubular plant Asperococcus Turneri.
the foot of the Nitophyllum cate
of which I have no
natural wants are sufficiently studied,
and ingeniously supphed. to the right,
;
truly splendid, if
Dmnontia filiformis
;
is
a
little tuft
Near
of the deh-
and, to the extreme
left,
a
branch of the brown-fronded MytiphcBa pinastris,
which receives
Pine-like growth
beneath
it,
name from
the somewhat
frequently assumes.
Immediately
its specific it
on the extreme
right, is a little cluster of
Chordaria lUvaricata ; and below, in the
left fore-
ground, are a few pink fronds of the curious Alga,
Chrysemenia rosea right,
;
while, in the foreground, to the
on a detached pebble,
is
a small mass of the pale
crimson Feyssonetia Duhyi.
In Plate IV. the principal object
is
a fasciculus of
Taonia atomaria, rising behind the point of rock
at
the top of the Plate, behind which are two long fronds of the spotted Asperococcus
;
to the left is the
hom-
OE, GLUIPSES
BENEATH THE
like Crigartina acicularis
;
"WATEES.
and in the front,
to the left,
the crimson tufts of a pretty weed ( Cer'amium strictum),
which our engraver has made too
like the
Bangia
fusco-p urpurea.
In Plate V. the violet-toned Laurencia pinnatifolia is grouped behind the solid, deep crimson fronds of Iridcea
edulis,
which are
often perfectly
pear-
shaped, somewhat resembling pieces of crimson leather neatly cut in that form; but the action of tides in
rough weather often
tears the edges,
and wears holes
through the texture of the plant, as shown in the prin-
To
cipal frond.
the left
is
the bright crimson Rhody-
—
menia lacinata one of the most exquisitely beautiful The fronds are as thin as the of our marine Algce. finest conceivable tissue, and beautifully transparent,
shown wherever the lacinations of the edge overlap each other, in which places the double thickness of the texture doubles, at the same time, the inwhich
is
tensity of the colour, as indicated in the representation.
On
the same level, to the right,
is
a small
group of the delicate green TJlva latissimch^a. plant which has proved useful beyond all others in Aquaria, as
throwing
ofi",
under the action of the
light,
a
much
greater profusion of silvery globules of oxygen than
any other species yet known. on the extreme right,
is
At
the same level
still,
a sprig of the delicately
OCEAlf GABDENS;
branched parasite, JPolysphonia parasitica, growing
on a small mass of pale sulphur-coloured Melobesia lichenoides, the Lichen-like Melobesia.
treme
left,
To
the ex-
under the beautiful Ithodymenia, is a small
branch of the olive-tinted Ectocarpus tomentosus, looking diately
much
below
confervoides ble, partly
like a spray of wild
it, ;
Broom, and imme-
a few purple branchlets of Gracilaria
while in the
left
foreground Hes a peb-
covered by a small plant of Zonaria parvnla,
from beneath which straggles a
little
common but pretty Coralline, the
branch of the
Corallina officinalis;
and, to the right, a globe of the curious
Codium
bursa,
of the French coast, which might easily be added
to
our native species ui the Aquarium.
Such are a few of our beautiful
coast Algce,
all of
would advise the admirers of the beauties of the marine Aquarium to try and if some refuse, ia the present state of oiur knowledge of their habits and
Avhich I
;
requirements,
to
make
themselves happy in
their
pretty " crystal palace," choosing rather to consider it
a " prison of glass,"
I
am
persuaded,
still
a good
may be coaxed
beauties very genially within
number
of them,
into displaying their
its
transparent
walls,
'which admit the bright sun rays as freely as pale
green liquid glass which forms their
element.
the
native
Plate
i.
Porphyra vulgaris.
5.
2.
Dumontia
G,
3.
Aaperococcus TamAil
i.
Ilytiphlaea piiiaaA
filifoiTnis.
16.
III.
Chryaymcnia rosea. PeysaonctlaDubj-i.
8.
Ectocarpus siUcutnsus.
9.
Nemaleon multiflda
10.
Nitophylluin punctatum.
Plate IV.
•TJWSp
1.
2-
Wiouilrus crlspus. i.
IMWPJ.MIWJ"
Taonia atomaria.
I
WJimilipiBp
Clgartina aclcularls. 5.
Flocamlum
3.
Ccramiumgttictum.
coctiiicuiu.
— OE, aLIMPSES
Many
.
BENEATH THE WATERS.
have indeed been added, since the former
edition of this work, to those at first
The following being a
treated.
red
list
successfully
containing several
species, all successfully cultivated at the present
time by Mr. Alford Lloyd
:
Uniermorpha compressa. Ihitermorpha
Delesseria
(even more
alata
beautiful)
intestinalis.
Qracilaria confervoides.
CladopTiora arcta.
Cladophora rupestris.
Gelidium corneum.
Iridcea edulis.
Chondrus
Delesseria sanguinea (one of the
Fhyllopliora rubens.
most beautiful red weeds).
Ceramium rubrum.
The
best time for
side is a
day or two
making
collections at the sea-
moon, when the
after the full
tide recedes to its greatest extent,
and parts of the
become exposed, where some of the
shore species
grow, which
cannot
proached at any other time. mind,
crispus.
also, that
few of the
be It
Certain success
is
floating pieces
it
growing
—thus transplanting
were, about
Aquarium.
It
its roots,
may
off
wiU grow, with their
only to be secured by chisel-
ling off a portion of the substance on is
ap-
must be borne in
however fresh and seemingly washed root.
finest
conveniently
it
which the weed
with
its
own
soU, as
into the ocean garden of the
here be remarked that those
plants and animals found between high and low watersi
;
OCEAN aAEDENS,
ETC.
mark, or the very next zone of depth, are the most adapted for healthy preservation in the Aquarium such as belong to the deeper
vs^ater
being found almost
invariably unfitted for such a purpose.
CHAPTER
V.
THE ZOOPHYTES.
^[aHE Aquarium having been furnished with its vegetation, and rendered as picturesque as possible
by the well-
arranged juxtaposition of felicitously contrasting forms and colours, the water
must be allowed it
is
are
introduced to
seen
with beautiful
clarified waters,
ciated
untU
their
new home.
its
colours
distinctness
then the stiU
life is
and forms
through the
ready to be assor'
with the more active organizations of animated
creatures.
Before speaking of MoUuscs, or Crustacea,
or of Fish, suitable to the all
days,
the Alpine scenery of the submarine landscape
appears perfectly settled, and aU are
some
as clear as pale green crystal, before the
animals
When
to settle for
Aquarium,
let
us
first
devote
our attention to our Zoophytes, those singular
creatures
whose strange
instincts
and anomalous forms
have been mainly instrumental in attracting the attention of
many
classes of the public to that curious in-
OCEAN GARDENS; terest in
Aquaria, which
threatening to absorb Infusorice
is fast
all
spreading into a mania,
others ia
drawn within the
fatal
its
vortex, like
tentacles of the
Actinia. First, of these Actinics, or Sea- Anemones.
These
flower-shaped animals were once thought to form an
anomalous link between the animal and vegetable
Many
world. idea,
were put
curious speculations, based upon that forth,
among which
posed to exist between
man and
and between quadrupeds and
the gradations sup-
the inferior animals,
fishes,
were asserted
further illustration of the former theory.
But
in
the
knowledge, based upon
deceptiveness of superficial
imperfect observations, was never more strikingly exemplified than in those speculations.
cipally
do
;
drew
their
through the medium of
more accurate
that they are not
was thought
were found attached
that because these creatures rocks, they necessarily
It
nourishment
to
prin-
roots, as all true plants
observation, however, has shown
permanently fixed
to the rocks,
and
power of moving from one place to another, and attaching themselves anew, whenever a that they have the
sufiiciently
desirable.
disturbing
cause
renders
such removal
Again, oysters and mussels remain fixed to
rocks without being considered allied to plants on that
account
;
and even some
fish 61
have the power of
at-
Plate VII.
1.
Actinia clavata. i
A Rhpll
(if
3.
thp
Pennatula phoaphorca.
CommonWhelk. On which
arc
5.
A gioup
of Ascidhuis.
tWOSDCCimensof Balalius.
BENEATH THE WATERS.
OR, GLIMPSES
taching themselves to similar substances by means of curiously formed ventral
The
purpose.
pretty
fins,
little
peculiarly fitted for the
tv?o-spotted sucker, Lepir
dogaster bimaculatus, possesses this faculty.
But the
form into which the arms, or
flower-like
food-seizers, of the Actinice are spread, radiating
from
a centre, like the petals of a flower, was the main
reason for supposing a close analogy between these strange creatures
abandoned, as nished with
and plants
it is
—a
utterly
quite evident that they are fur-
mouth and stomach,
a
now
fancy
like
all
true
animals, and with a set of arms called tentacles, for seizing their prey;
and perhaps,
through the medium of delicate
at the
cilise
same time^
with which the
tentacles are connected, with a breathing apparatus,
through which a current of water discharged after
The
its
oxygen has been
is
taken
in,
and
abstracted.
discovery of the true nature of these singular
creatures, however,
still
leaves their flower-like appear-
ance very remarkable, and to a superflcial observer is
as deceptive as ever
ralists), first
;
and few (not professed natu-
meeting vdth these singular Zoophytes for the
time,
would
hesitate to
pronounce them a kind of
sea-plant.
Let us turn,
for example, to Plate VIII.,
and note
the appearance of the two varieties oi Actinia dianthus
— OCEAN GARDENS;
—
the carnation-like Actinia, as
and we
name
its
imports
shall easily excuse our early naturalists their
pretty but erroneous fancies concerning them. species
is
more subject than many others
colour, like the flower after
which
it is
This
to vary in
named, being
found of every tone between snow-white, orange, pale scarlet,
and blood-red
duskier
tints,
some specimens take
from a dull brown
But we
green.
—while
to a
kind of orange-
will describe our illustrations of this
curious family in regular succession, noting what
is
most peculiar in the subject of each Plate. Plate VI. contains a representation of one of the last discovered species of
Actinia
a habit that distinguishes
it
—one which
from
all its
displays
congeners
hitherto described by naturalists, and which has entitled it to
be classed in a separate genus, and
distin-
guished as Edioardsia vestita. The generic designation is
from that of a well-known
name,
naturalist,
and the
specific
vestita, from its habit of forming for itself a shell,
or clothing, into
which
pleasure
an inhabitant of the shallow water,
when
;
or, if
it
the tide recedes,
exposed to the
air.
power of quitting
has the faculty of retiring
and leaves
inconveniently
This species, unless its shell,
necessity permanently fixed tion in
it
like
it
have the
some Molluscs,
and confined
which the egg from which
it
at
is
of
to the posi-
was hatched was
Plate VIII.
1. Attiilifl
gemmutea.
iHi, Aainiamcaembryaiulicn.mn.
3-
Luccrnaiia auricula.
6.
VirgulaiiarairabilL*.
— OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATEES.
placed by the instinct of the parent or the capiice of the waves. The other objects in Plate VI. will be described in another place.
In Plate VII. we have two remarkable species of Actinia; the one with drooping tentacles of duU brickred being a very curious variety, resembling Anthea
which never withdraws those filament-Hke appendages within its body like the other species. The species below is Actinia clavata, one of the most cereus,
delicately beautiful kind,
which, from
its
briUiant
whiteness, at once attracts the attention.
In Plate VIII. are two scribed,
varieties, previously de-
of Actinia dianthus,
commonly
plumose, or feather-like. Anemone.
them, of
all
is
called the
front,
the species, which has received the specific
about the
name
the gem-like appearance produced
by the touches of colour orifice of the
—
blue, buff,
mouth
sharply pointed tentacles.
cles are
below
the representation of one of the most splendid
gemmacea from
its
In
and brovra
or stomach,
and about
Brightly tinted tuber-
arranged in rows upon the stem or body, the
whole surface of which
is
clouded with pale iridescent,
or rather nacreous, tones of pink
and azure, varied
with occasional flushes of orange.
AU
the species are
furnished with tubercles of a similar description about the stem, but in
many
they are not so conspicuous, 67
;
;
OCEAN GARDENS
and in others almost imperceptible exist in
all,
;
yet they no doubt
merely ornamental, but
as they are not
essential organs, peculiar to this class of creatures
being reservoirs from which they can shoot forth a
and poisoned
thread, furnished with a barbed
means of which they
by
are able to attain an enemy, or
beyond the reach of
victim, far
dart,
their tentacles.
Mr.
Gosse very graphically describes the death of a small struck by one of these thread-borne poisoned
fish
some distance from the offended Actinia,
arrows, at
who launched
his dart, as
seemed, for no greater
it
provocation than a slight disturbance of the water rather nearer to his retreat than was agreeable.
The Actinia gemmacea,
would appear, is a more voracious creature than most of his congeners, for Dr. Johnston, in his
it
work on the
splendid
British
Zoophytes, describes one of this species that had
managed
to
swallow a shell of JPecten maximus
common
large as a
saucer, its
not exceeding two inches. distend
its elastic
form
mous prey but the ;
It
own
as
natiu-al diameter
managed, however,
to
sufficiently to receive the enor-
shell divided the
stomach into two
completely separate departments, the lower one being thus perfectly shut off from
meet
its
this difficulty, the organic
To
usual supphes.
economy of the
ture adapted itself in a most extraordinary
crea-
manner
;
a
Plate IX.
1.
Actinia augnicoma.
2.
Cucumis hyalinna.
3,
Echinus: epbtera.
4.
Alyconlum digitatum.
on, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE
"WATERS.
new mouth was opened below the division, with two rows of new tentacles, and thus
furnished the lower
portion becomes provided with a means of taking in
nourishment, the whole creature forming a singtdar double monster, that, not contented with its one giant
mouth, surrounded with its
hundred arms
its
supply
to
voracious appetite, had actually succeeded in sup-
plying
itself
with a second, equally furnished with
its
formidable feeding apparatus.
In Plate IX. a beautifully distinct form of singular race of animals
—Actinia
is
this
very carefuUy delineated
—
anguicoma which seems to be shaking loose a mass of serpent-formed hair, like another Medusa; fi-om which appearance, its specific name, anguicoma, signifying snake-haired,
has doubtless
been given.
The
tentacles of the Actinia
mesembryanthemum
are generally of a beautiful rosy pink,
of a rich
warm brown.
A. crassicornis
—
—represented
in
species,
the lower part
X. is, perhaps, the handsomest, mouth being of a delicate straw tone, Plate
and the body
But of aU the
of
the orifice or the tentacles
white, variegated with bands of delicate pink, and
the
body,
or
stem,
a rich
orange-brown, thickly
sprinkled with tubercles of bright yellow. species sometimes measures
Tliis fine
five inches across,
when
;
OCEAN GABDENS Actinia coriacea
the tentacles are fully expanded. is
also
a
fine
which
species,
well in the
thrives
Aquaria of the Zoological Gardens.
When
the Jctinice are in a state of repose or
sleep, the tentacles are entirely
stem or body
drawn
in,
and the
closes over the orifice, leaving only a
mark
slight indent to
In
existence.
its
this state,
they might be mistaken for short-stemmed fungi, the pale-bodied
species
groAvn mushroom,
if
being very much
like a half-
one can imagine
placed close
to the ground, Avithout
Most of the
any
it
visible stem.
species can
be
easily detached from
the rocks to which they are found adhering
some
cases,
it
is
found necessary
chisel.
But when
this
done,
is
yet, in
cut out the
to
portion to which they cling by means of a
and
;
hammer
and they
are
placed in the Aquarium, they often wilhngly leave the stone to which they
are
attached,
-^^-hich
they
would not do by gentle persuasion, or any moderate amount of force and they then take up their station ;
on some suitable portion of the
artificial
rockwork,
just as those do that have been originally detached'
from
their native
Actinlai
and
rocks.
Above twenty
their allies are
known
to
species
of
British na-
turalists.
The Lucernarice
are another class of Zoophytes, 60
OE, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
or plant-like creatures, as the term Zoophyte implies,
being formed of the Greek word
Zoon
nifying a thing possessed of animal ((^uToi/),
This general term
a plant.
aU the creatures
—
character separate
life,
—some of
and phyton applied to
them of very distinct this class, which forms a
of
that belong to
division
is
sig-
(?&)oi^),
natural
science
known
as
Zoophytology.
The
which has received denomination of auricula, from its slight
species of Lucernaria,
the specific
resemblance in form to the flower of that name,
is
de-
lineated in Plate VIII., attached to a slender branch
of sea-weed, just above the two large Sea-Anemones.
This species of Lucernaria pinkish colour,
more
and
in
is,
is
general form, perhaps
like a convolvulus than
species
generally of a light
an auricula.
have been most beautifully delineated in
their details
magnificent
drawings
are, in fact,
when
all
by Mrs. Johnston, in her husband's These work on British Zoophytes. so
charmingly
same time, accurately executed, that that the pencil ought to be guided by fingers
Two
portraying
these
it
and, at the
would seem
delicate female
minutely intricate
The exquisite and unusual forms of animal life. drawings by Mrs. J. E. Gray, in her work on the curious molluscous animals
—whose habitations
alone,
OCEAN GARDENS; the
beautiful sea-shells of our cabinets, were,
aU
recently,
evidence, if
more
that was it
known
of them
—
tOl
afford further
were needed, of the aptitude of the
finely-strung female capacity for this depart-
ment of
scientific
Griffiths
is
honourably associated
also
study of natural science,
with
marine
our
Algm
especially
—a
having received
sea-weeds
The name
portraitui-e.
honour of the esteemed
of Mrs.
with the
that connected
beautiftd division
name,
its
of
Griffithsia, in
services of that accomplished
lady.
The JLucernaria campanulata, which is of a somewhat more bell-shaped form than the preceding, is of an uniform liver colour
;
and in the hollow
of
the flower-like cup the " mouth" projects, in a square
There are three known
form, in the centre.
of British iMcernarice,
which would
curious objects in the
Aquarium; but they
ct'S.si^•ely
delicate
and
fragile creatures,
pended from the object a
like
mere lump of
water,
the
all
to
form highly are ex-
hanging
which they are
jelly,
species
attached,
when taken
and would doubtless be very
sus-
out
of
difficult
of transport, and probably not capable of retaining life
in a
time.
state of
confinement,
except for a short
Beneath the waters.
OE,' GLIMPSES
The
"
compound Zoophytes,"
Tolyps, as being, as one, are
many
creatures in
more curious than the two
still
A
described.
were,
it
more properly,
or,
common example
of this class
Alyconium digitatum (Plate IX., No. like a
mass of short
are closed, as
name has
also a
when
fingers,
its specific
name
somewhat
classes just
4),
is
the
looking
the final fiorets
imports.
Its
popular
similar signification, being
sometimes called, by the fishermen of our northern coasts.
Dead Men's
general
structure
which the
Toes.
Each finger-like
contains
somewhat analogous
to
creature or
of
organization,
is vitally
spine,
the
fioret,
those of the Sea- Anemones.
But the most singular character of or masses
of the
a separate creature, of
when expanded, form
tentacles,
cell
is
this organization,
each separate
that
attached to a central polypidom,
which binds the whole group
into
one
existence.
Of
this
of which
class
is
are the curious Pennatulidcs, one
commonly known
as the Sea-Pen.
three species of this class of Folyps
known
The to in-
habit the British seas are so distinct from each other, that they form at the
The most
same time three
beautiful of the three
pJiosphorea, the
Sea-Pen, which 63
is
is
distinct genera.
the Fennatula
not
uncommon
OCEAN GARDENS; on
some
our
of
parts
northern
coasts.
The purple
represented in Plate VII.
It
is
branches,
or pinnae, of the upper portion form the feathered
part of the pen to which portion
some
resemblance
planted, as
from
a
miniature
capable of motion through
it is
place to place,
The
polypidom,
by some
action
naked
with long,
at the lower end,
closely set
which the
pinnae,
polyp-cells
or
trunk,
are
and feathered above along placed.
the
margins
The
They
united motion.
to
be capable of the action of regular oars
are
doubtful, though
which
pinnae
supposed by some
or
polypidom,
red.
and capable of either separate
are curved backward,
this is very
three
is
and of a purphsh
or four inches long, fleshy,
of
curious position,
one of the handsomest of our British
It is
Zooph}tes.
is
This
organs which has not been accurately de-
its
tected.
It
certaialy
an erect
quill.
seen in
were, in the mud, like
it
water
the
to
often
is
purple pine, though
of
the bare
the polypidom below having
of
zoophytic form
the
likened;
is
it
is
their
strengthened
;
but
bearing on the
by an
internal
column of calcareous or bony matter, would give them considerable power for that purpose. The creature's specific to the supposition
name, pJiosphorea, must not lead that
always emits a phospho-
it 64
OE, GLIMPSES
rescent light, for
produced. a
shower
it is
BENEATH THE WATERS. only
If plunged
when
irritated that this is
into fresh water,
phosphoric sparks in
of
all
it
scatters
directions,
which forms a magnificent and curious spectacle, far more brilliant, no doubt, than the fabled hues of the djing dolphin.
The Tlrgularia mirahlUs
is
another of this class
of creatu.res, almost as elegant as the Sea-Pen, but
more
and in the form of a branching
slender,
rod, as
name imports. (See Plate VIII.) The Sponges form a curious class of Zoophytes, which have perhaps a much closer affinity to plants than any other. They are occasionally very singular its
in their forms
;
and Dr. Johnston enumerates
species belonging to our coasts
unsuited to
the
our knowledge collected
;
on the
;
fifty-six
they are, however,
Aquarium in the present state of and when portions of rock are shore, for the tank, care should be
taken to clear off any Sponge formations that are perceived, as their certain
and rapid decay would be
liable to injure the condition of the
whole colony of
the Aquarium.
When
the collector resorts to the sea-shore in
search of subjects for his Aquarium, he should avoid
sandy beaches. Actini<s,
It
is
on the rocky shores alone that
Madrapores, Serpulce, or other specimens
OCEAN GARDENS, of ocean
found.
life,
desirable for the
The noble rocks
shire coast are the
ETC.
Aquarium, are
to
be
of some parts of the Devon-
most favourable
localities
;
but
even on the chalk rocks of Ramsgate and Margate
many kinds
are to be found.
CHAPTER THE MOLLUSCS, /|
HE
w
VI. ETC.
curious floral similitudes of
Zoophytes have greatest
the
as yet attracted the
degree
of attention
among
the constructors of marine Aquaria
,^m/^ other forms of ocean
life
ofi"er
;
yet
equal, if
not superior, opportunities for curious obser
"Qy
4
vation,
and are equally well calculated
the confinement of the tank.
to bear
Among them
none more than the MoUuscs, especially the shellbearing division, which merits the careful attention all,
of the student of Nature, as containing some of her
most singular manifestations.
The knowledge many of the most
of the structure and habits of
MoUuscs is of very recent date, with the exception of those which possess obvious qualities which have fitted them for articles
Mussel,
of diet or
Cockle,
curious shell-bearing
commerce
etc.,
Purples, Sepias, and
;
such as the Oyster,
eatable
as
species
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and
the
Cuttle-fish, as containing valuer
OCEAjST
With
able dyes.
peaii-yielding
OAEDENS
;
the exception of such as these, the
and a few
Bivalves,
was known of the animals that
others,
nothing
and inhabit the
create
beautiful shells that have so long been ranked
among
the most elegant objects of the cabinets of the curi-
Many
ous. fied
of these were, in fact, scientifically
by learned
was
husk,
they formed the mere senseless
of which
animal,
classi-
naturalists before the nature of the
even
guessed
The
at.
ordinary
col-
know anything of the creature which produced the shell he so much prized it was sufficient for him that it was estidid not even desire
lector
to
;
mated
" rare"
as
by
his brother
collectors
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
rarity
being a quality more highly prized than cv'en beauty.
With
this
single
shells
as
prices
e^'er
as
great were given for
enthusiastic
Hollander
mania. of
Xo amount shells,
for
of
gumeas was
too
such a contested
much, prize
Mainj-ribhed harp, a Gloria maris, a Cedo a
paid
coveted bulb during the height of the Tulipo-
for a
sale
feeling,
J'oluta
Junonia.
But
that
race
of
at a as
a
nulli, or
idle
shell-
fanciers has given place to a race of true conchologists,
who
are investigators as well as collectors, and
whose labours are daily developing unexpected and valuable knowledge from those long obscure pages of the great
book of Nature.
BENEATH THE
OE, GLIMPSES
of
"WATERS.
The marine Aquarium may be made many curious discoveries regarding the
organization of the shell-bearing Molluscs this feeling, I
may
the means habits and
;
and, with
direct the attention to several of
their singular characteristics, in order that they
may
serve as clues to the detection of others.
The term Mollusc, from to express that the is,
whole
entirely without
spine, or
one,
the
is
is
important;
it is,
its
that to
objectionable as a
characteristic
When, however,
well understood,
;
any bony support
founded being shared by other animals.
intended
The term was invented but
illustrious Cuvier,
distinctiA'e
is
class are invertebrate
their curious fleshy forms.
by the
mollis, soft,
on which
distinct
it
is
classes of
the appHcation of a term
inner signification becomes un-
therefore,
now
too late to criticise
the one invented and appHed by the prince of modern naturalists.
Among
the interesting facts detected by recent
science, it has
shapeless
termed animals.
been shown that many of the seemingly
masses of
flesh, possess
soft all
scarcely to be
substance,
the senses of the higher
In the Cephalopoda, the organs of sight
and Professor Owen considers that the Nautilus possesses even an organ of passive smell. The Gasteropoda too, are
and hearing are both well developed
;
OCEAlSr G-AEDENS;
according to Siebold, nearly
and
eyes, the former organs
furnished with ears
all
being described as forming
round capsules, conspicuously
visible near the roots
of the tentacles.
Some
of the ConcJiifera, also, are furnished with
numerous
eyes, which, like those of the Scallops
Clams of our own
shores, are also placed
among
and their
tentacula. It appears probable, says Dr. Johnston, that
have also the sense of
taste, as
many
they are observed
to
select particular articles of food in preference to others,
and there
is
no other sense that appears
The mouth,
regulate the choice.
many
of the molluscous tribe
is
fitted to
as it is termed, of
furnished, as
among
the Gasteropoda, with a fringe formed of filaments,
which may be organs of touch, and they have
also a
complicated breathing apparatus.
The
strength of these boneless creatures
is
some-
thing very extraordinary, and almost incomprehen-
The Stromhus gigas,
sible.
for instance, a soft, snail-
sheU which often weighs more pounds; the Cassis tuber osa supports one
like creature, carries a
than
five
nearly as heavy, and
no
shell
to
carry,
many naked
Molluscs, that have
have other modes of
exliibiting
.strength of a very extraordinary character.
The
shells of the clothed 70
Molluscs are senseless,
;
BENEATH THE WATEES.
OR, GLIMPSES
being permeated by no
animal
itself
vessels, and. are
integuments are invested, and which
may be
its
outer
described
The thickened edge
as lime in a state of solution.
the mantle,
formed by the
from a secretion with which
by means of which the form
is
given to
the shell, and the general manipulation effected, furnished, as lens,
may be
of
is
seen with the aid of a moderate
with a minute and highly sensitive fringe, the
cdia of which are of various colours, corresponding in
tone and position to the tints which decorate the ex-
The coloured
terior of the shell.
cUia or fringes have
doubtless a dyeing power, which colours the calca-
reous solution at the time
it is
The
their plastic instinct.
added
is
by
solution becomes a hard
testaceous substance so soon as
the animal, and
to the sheU.
it
leaves the
duly deposited, in
body of
arcliitectural
layers, upon the beautiful structure of the shell, by the "trowel" and "brushes" of the edge of the
mantle.
This process "
is
beautifully described in Jones's
Animal Kingdom," with
all
the details relating to
by means
of
which
defined since
its
birth
the successive ridges on the sheU, the age of the animal it
may be
having been ascertained
what time
is
required for
the completion of each story of the edifice.
The power
of locomotion
is
one of the most curious
— ;
OCEAN GARDENS subjects for observation in the structure of shell-coated
Aquarium
Molluscs, and for this purpose the marine
many
offers
Other
advantages.
of animals
classes
have been distinguished by the number of their feet
—we
have, for instance, a tribe of
worms termed
centipedes, or hundred-footed creatures
over
many
—
and, to pass
gradations, to the superior grass-feeding
and carnivorous animals, we find them termed quadrupeds, or four-footed
—whUe
human Why,
the
with birds, has been termed biped.
race, along
may we
therefore,
creatures
not coin a word for our present
purpose, and call these curious Molluscs unopeds, or
monopods,
as
walk with a
being single-footed creatures
solitary foot,
"?
—
for they
being compelled to do so by
the very simple fact that they have no other.
hmb,
or foot, Avhen about to be used,
truded, and
its
'\'\"hen
the foot has attained
full distension it is draAvn in,
and a
and by the repetition of
amount of locomotion
new
which
is
is eflPected.
Some
of the water, the foot air,
when
it
species float
this
member
performed in the following manner
Having crawled up a rock is
its
bearing ob-
this process, a certain
on the surface of the water by means of a feat
This
gradually pro-
bearing against some substance forces
the animal forward.
tained,
is
to the
:
height of the surface
protruded and exposed
to the
soon becomes suddenly dried, and in that
OE, GLIMPSES state serves as
a cork, which enables the animal to
float aAvay close if
BENEATH THE WATEES.
But
under the surface of the water.
any agitation should cause a ripple
to
wet
this
floating apparatus, or the animal should choose to
withdraw
it
voluntarily beneath the water for that
purpose, the shell and
its
inmate immediately sink to
the bottom.
The swimming power
of this race of creatures
as curious as the contrivance for floating.
is
The Ce-
phalopoda, by the ejection of a jet of water, propel themselves rapidly in the opposite direction to that of the
is
and by the repetition of
this singular
motive
at equal intervals, a beautifully steady
motion
jet,
power
obtained with
much
less
labour than that produced
by ordinary swimming, by means of the action
of fins
or other oar- like limbs adapted to the purpose.*
Some
Molluscs are, nevertheless, furnished with a kind of fin
the Fteropoda, in their
;
as glass,
swimming by the
little shells,
translucent
action of small fin-Hke
paddles placed near the head.
The Bivalves do not make single foot as the Univalves.
*
Some
species effect leaps
so clever a use of their
The
foot in this tribe
by an analogous contrivance
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
col-
lecting water within the closed mouth, and then emitting it at a gush from a small portion of the aperture, suddenly opened, which
propels the creature to a considerable distance at a single bound.
OCEAN aAJBDENS; appears to be furnished with, a terminal hook, which,
when
the foot
is
and the animal
protruded, clings to some substance, is
dra^vn up to that point,
operation has to be repeated. to
when
the
This would appear likely
produce but a slow rate of progress, and yet some
of the sand-boring Bivalves manage,
when
to retreat and conceal themselves with great by that means.
The MoUusca, classes
rapidity
as feeders, are divided into three
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;those which take
table feeders,
alarmed,
only liquid food, the vege-
and the carnivorous
Those which are only able
species.
to take food in a liquid
form, are such as have no means of seizing prey, their
food consisting of the countless myriads of infusorial animalcules which float in the sea-water, and which are carried into the orifice of the stomach or
by the
current.
Of
these, the
mouth
Dunicata, Brachio-
poda, and Conchifera are examples.
The
liquid feeders exhibit a very
molluscous
life,
low form of
but other classes are furnished with
means of defence and aggression, equal to those of terrestrial quackupeds, and much more extraordinary in their form.
of the carnivorous Univalves,
for instance,
Some feed upon
the Bivalves by drUling a hole
through the
solid shell,
piecemeal, as required.
and withdrawing the animal
OE,
GLIMPSES BENEATH THE WATERS.
The EoUs papillosa has been observed tearing away the tentacles of different species of Sea- Anemone with extraordinary voracity, and that tribe must therefore very evidently be excluded from the Aquarium.
The
Cuttles, also, are to
cause
;
make
be avoided from the same
they are fierce tyrants of the deep, that would sad havoc
which we dehght
among
the dehcate creatures with
to furnish our tanks of glass.
The
curious substance termed Sea-Grapes, which are the
eggs of this creature, might, however, be placed in the tank, and the progress of development watched,
without fear of injury to the other inmates.
Even
the full-grown Cuttle
that, in a
is so
curious a creature
tank prepared with that special view, his
habits might furnish food for
much
curious observa-
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
tion
indeed, carefully fed up, he might form very
excellent food himself.
His German name, Kuttel,
signifies tripe, the flavour of
which
his flesh is said to
and the common Squid, which is eaten by the poor of our coasts, and is a kindred species, is also resemble
;
said to have a similar flavour. as
weU
Molluscs of this
class,
as the disgusting-looking Poulp, or Many-feet,
are seen in profusion in the markets of the south of
Europe, and are as highly prized as the Oyster with us.
The
ancients carried their taste for
as to feed
them up
artificially;
and
them
so far
at the nuptial
;
OCEAJSf
feast of Iphicrates,
we
are informed,
so as to
GARDENS
one hundred Polypi and Sepice, as
were disguised with different sauces
The land
impart to each a different flavour.
Molluscs were also
much sought
as a table delicacy,, a
species of the large Garden-Snail being bred in large
quantities for that purpose paste,
;
and fed upon a prepared
so accelerated their growth, that we learn
which
from the industrious Plmy many particulars concerning their enormous dimensions
the shells of some of
;
the finest being capable of holding eighty measures of water, called quadrants. I
But, in speaking of Molluscs,
must principally confine myself
such as are
to
suit-
able for an Aquarium.
Among are
still
the Sea-Snails of our oAvn coast, which
eaten by the lower orders,
is
the Periwinkle,
considered by some superior in flavour to the Oyster
This creature, the lAttorina littorea,
or Shrimp.
one of the most useful creatures cleansing
it
from
natural food. size
and
all
ally
varies
even
is its
much both
ground tone of the
sometimes red, orange, or
is
an Aquarium, by
decaying vegetation, wliich
The Periwinlde
colour, the
m
in
shell being
scarlet,
occasion-
with handsome black bands. Such as are coloured
in this attractive as inmates of the
manner should obviously be selected Aquarium, in preference to the dull-
coloured varieties.
A
few of the small yeUow Idnd, 76
OR, GLIMPSES
Littorma
litf oralis,
BENEATH THE WATERS.
may be added by way
though they do not succeed
so well
iii
of variety,
confinement as
the other species.
The Whelk (Succlnum snail-like
undatimi), another of the
Molluscs of our coasts, which
is
considered
good eating by the lower orders, and often seen on fish-stalls at particular seasons, is
in our miniature sea stances,
when
especially
;
well worthy a place
under certain circum-
the shell of this creature assumes a most
singular aspect, well calculated to excite the Avonder
of the young naturalist.
It is
sometimes found sur-
mounted by a mass of living substance, which might be taken for the body of the creature, residing in preference on the roof of
months, where
it
its
may be
dwelling during the
summer
observed spreading a set of
tentacles,
from a mouth-Hke
of food.
Within, however, a pair of protruding eyes
orifice for the collection
are seen glaringly on the watch for prey, set of food-clutching
machines
may
and another
be noticed beneath
them, ready for their work, and only awaiting the op-
They look much Uke
portunity. ster,
and
reach,
it is
the claws of a lob-
any suitable object comes within their seized by one or both of these two-fingered
if
hands, and carried towards the yawning
neath ; but before
it
mouth
be-
reaches that evidently impatient
receptacle, a brightly shining crimson finger, orna-
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; OCEAN aAEDENS;-
mented with two white
stripes, darts
from under those
claws and mouth, and, snatching away the rich morsel, disappears as suddenly as
mouth
pectant
mystery of as it were,
The
and astonished claws both empty.
this
a
came, leaving the ex-
it
seemingly compound creature having,
first
self living outside the
house and
getting a separate living, a second self located in the
front parlour, and prevented from eating
o^vn
its
dinner by a third self residing in the 'bach parlour,
may be
now
easily explained,
that the persevering
observations of our naturalists have solved follows
it.
It
is
as
:
The
internal dweller in the front parlour
is
the
Hermit Crab (^Fagurus JPrideauxii), a creature which, having a
less solid
than his brother crabs,
shell
seldom contented with its
own habitation, but ever
is
seek-
ing some further protection, which it generally finds in
an empty Whelk-shell. as to fit,
when
and other
It
is,
details
;
moreover, very particular for
it
has been observed,
looking out for a house, to try and reject
before finally adopting an abode.
the back parlour
is
the Sea-
Worm
a creature which, instinctively
The
many
inhabitant of
[Nereis bilineata),
knowing the voracious
propensities of the Crab, and determining to share his
abundant
feasts,
seizes his
host of the Whelk-shell
is
opportunity,
when mine
pretty well surfeited and in
OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
A semi-dormant state, to sneak past the dangerous
claws into the " back parlour," which the narrow spiral of the shell
is
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a form
the interior of
of apartment
which
affords him a most comfortable and convenient home, established in which, by the superfluous voracity of the Crab,
The
lodging.
he
is
furnished with board as well as
external tenant of the Whelk-shell
parasitic Sea- Anemone,
known
attaches
itself,
a
as the Cloak- Anemone,
from its power of nearly enveloping the object it
is
to
which
by means of the extension of its stem
It is known in scientific classification as Adamsia palliata, having been made a separate genus, and its specific name is ingeniously taken from that
or body.
of the
Roman
cloak, the well-loiown pallium of the
classical writers.
Almost invariably, when the Hermit Crab covered inside the Whelk-sheU, the outside
;
and the Hermit
is
Adamsia is found
seldom without his dinner
assistant, the prettily striped Nereis.
well
known
to fishermen, that
worm, which break the
is
shells
is dis-
an excellent
when
bait,
This fact
is
so
ui search of this
they never
fail to
tenanted by the Hermit Crab, and
arc
seldom disappointed in finding the object of their search in his company.
Another
parasitic
Anemone,
stiU
more fond of
tra-
velling, the Actinia parasitica, often selects the back
OCSAJ;?
of a Crab itself (generally in that position
way
that
must often prove inconve-
under ledges of rock, the Crab,
for in passing
;
Fagurus Bernliardus), and
hurried along, in the sidUng gaUop
is
of his steed, in a nient
aAEDENSj
doubtless, onl}' takes his o^vn measure.
Yet, in such
Anemone probably knows how to take care when JBernhardus becomes skittish and adventurous, draws in his horns," as many other cases, the
of himself; and
''
bold
spirits are
career
;
obliged to do at certain crises of their
and in
this state, presenting
a semi-
onl}'
spherical mass of tough leathery substance,
be driven beneath stony
fearlessly allow himself to
archwa}'s, or forests,
by
jury than
he can
under impending branches of the marine
his ferocious Jehu, tliiit
with
less
chance of
in-
which used in the good old times
to
threaten the outside passenger of a terrestrial stage-
coach passing beneath the low gateway of some innyard.
Our the
largest nati\'c shell of
Fiisiis
islanders as
antlquus, a
lamp
;
often for
pended horizontally, the
the
Whelk
used by the
\\-hich caA'it)"
purpose
tribe
is
Shetland is
sus-
oil,
and
it
holding the
the wick projecting from the canal.
The Whelks belong Iliiricidce,
to
the interesting
some of which, natives of our own
are very pretty objects for the
Aquarium.
family coasts,
It
was
OB, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATEBS.
Murex
one of them, the
which yielded
trunculus,
the Tyrian purple, different species affording distinct tones of colour.
our
like
broad,
In form, these
Common
dark,
WUd,
somewhat
"Whelk, but finely marked with
spiral
The ancient mode of described by Pliny, was verified
stripes.
extracting the dye, as
by Mr.
shells are
in 1838, in a very interesting manner-
In the neighbourhood of the
site
of the
ancient
Tyre, he found, in the rocks on the sea-shore, a vast
number of round cavities, evidently the work of the hammers and chisels of generations long past away. These cavities varied in
size,
flower-pot to that of a cauldron, still
lay scattered
from that of a small
and round about them
immense masses of the remains of
Murex, The shells in many instances agglumiuated together. with their inmates had evidently been pounded in those cavities, exactly as stated by Pliny, and the dye ex-
the sheUs and bodies of the easily distinguished
tracted detailed
according
by the ancient
The Turpura
the formulae so graphically
to
naturalist.
lapillus of our
own
shores yields a
and might be kept in our Aquaria as a reserve bottle of "marking-ink;" for the ingenious similar dye,
Mr, Gosse has shown how
its
for household purposes.
The
univalve, with one or
dye
may be
thus used
shell is a small
white
more bands of pale brown. 81
G
It
OCEAN G-AEDENS; perishes on being
may be
dye
immersed in fresh water, when the
extracted from a thick vein of yellowish
white, near the head ness
;
it is
a liquid of a creamy thick-
and of pale indistinct colour.
But
if
it
be
painted in the forms required, as a cypher, or any other ornament, on linen, or any other textile fabric,
with a camel's-hair pencil, and exposed to the rapidly assumes a rich yellow tone. to green,
then blue,
till
at last it
This
changes
first
becomes a
air, it
full strong
indigo, exhibiting plainly all the forms that have been traced.
A
crimson-red change next ensues, and the
which
final colour,
is
indelibly permanent,
is
a red-
dish purple.
There
is
also a large
naked Mollusc, one of the
Aplysia, that pours forth, under excitement, a secretion of rich purple
hue
valueless as a dye,
from
it
is
but the colour its
extreme
is
considered
volatility,
though
may be rendered permanent by acid. The common Flanorbis cor-
stated that
means of
;
it
nitric
neus, a shell coiled in the form of a ram's horn, has a similar property
more
^^olatile.
;
but the colour of the fluid
The purple
liquid,
is still
however, contained
in another of our native shells (Scalarla)
is
very per-
manent.
wcU knoflTi that the ink of the Chinese, which we term Indian ink, is prepared from the It is
OE, GLIMPSES
and the Cuttles of the Mediterranean Sea
Cuttle,
furnished the
principal black inks and dyes of the
Greeks and Romans. that
BENEATH THE WATEES.
It is a
kind of Sepia, in
fact,
brown colour which bears the name of the animal from which it is still
furnishes
the rich
derived.
to
The common Sepia vulgaris might be introduced the marine Aqu.arium, many of its habits being
singular
when
it
and
power of enveloping itself in a might often be observed became irritated by the presence of a real or
cloud of
;
its
its
own
fancied danger. itself
rich dye
It
has the faculty of propelhng
hither or thither by the emission of a jet of
water, as described in
speaking of the locomotive
power of other MoUuscs, with the additional faculty of guiding its motions by the rapid movement of two fin-like paddles, effect
when
in agitation, produce an
not unlike the fluttering action of the wings of
a moth.
This
little
Cephalopod has large projecting
and a group of arms, that hang
eyes,
when fully
which,
the fins are in motion.
and
It
listlessly
down
changes colour
fit-
beautifully, exhibiting in the course of such
changes pretty metallic spots and rings, which appear
and disappear, now like gold, now like through a semi-opaque substance. ture
is at
silver, as
The whole
seen crea-
one moment of a dusky grey tone, but 83
fit-
;
OCEAN GARDENS deep broAvn when alarmed. These Sepias are exceedingly voracious, not even
fully changes to white or
sparing their
own kind
by Mr. Gosse
own
its
defence of dark black
species, the
fluid.
of the Trochus tribe of shells look pretty
Aquarium, but
in an
and when one was observed
to seize another, of its
victim shot out
Some
;
at present their treatment
imperfectly understood, that they do not seem
The specimens
weU.
can, however, be
is
so
to thrive
renewed
as
required.
Trochus zizipldnus, the pearly Trochus, the animal of which
moves
is
of a rich orange colour striped with black,
freely about,
The animal of
and forms a very
T. granulatus
but shy, and displays
The
small Trochus,
Aquarium, may
;
larger
little activity
often be
observed
in confinement.
rasping do^vn
grow on the
inside of the
and the curious method of the operation, and
the singular instruments with which
may
and handsomer,
T. cinerarius, if placed in an
the minute Confervee that glass
is
attractive object.
it is
performed,
be plainly distinguished by the aid of a small
lens.
lAmpets
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;those curious
bonnet-shells, as they are
termed in some places, which are found in the form of a flattened and inverted funnel, adhering closely to the flat
rocks of the sea-shore in Si
all
the European seas
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
are
'
OK, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE
more curious than they appear
"SVATEES.
and
at a first glance,
have characteristics that well repay the labour of perI should always place a few
severing observation.
m
an Aquarium.
The Common Limpet (Tatella vulgata) has a when the soft
power, which appears extraordinary substance of
more or
makes
its
body
is
considered, of excavating,
less deeply, a portion of the
its
home.
It is
rock which
supposed to leave
in the night, returning infallibly to its
its
home
it
hollow in the
morning.
This habit might be watched in an Aqua-
rium, and,
if verified,
which
established,
a very interesting fact would be
at
present
somewhat
remains
doubtful, although Mr. Lukis, of Guernsey,
have marked a Limpet, and found haunt.
These creatures belong
it
is
said to
return to
to the order
its
named
Cyclohranchiata, from the breathing apparatus being
arranged in a circle round the body.
The
pretty British shell, vulgarly called the
Ark
of Noah, should be tried in Aquaria, as well as the elegant Heart-sheU of the beautiful genus Isocardia ; the
movements and habits of the
by the Eev.
J.
latter,
as described
Bulwer, being very curious and
in-
teresting.
The
pretty
be passed
little
Cowry
over in silence,
is
an object that must not
when
treating of objects
OCEAN GAEDENS; fitted for the
book of omitted.
marine Aquarium, altliough, in a
many
others
beautiful
little
this extent,
This
Europcea, carrying is
of
single foot.
termed, which
is
greatly distended,
is
which it perfectly ceptible, shell
it.
the
the mantle
and protrudes from the
up
fits
ribbings
little
is
animal.
delicate
olive,
in a state of
and beautiful
so tightly to the
seen
are
distinctly
The
foot
is
pale orange,
spotted with black and
activity,
It
of whose appearance
who
know and admire
bivalves, of
no
all
and
the de-
are acquainted -with
delicious edible Oyster
many
animals suited to Aquaria.
shell,
but for
its
in
idea.
which
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the
one kind
only
is,
a most singular
creature,
serted shell, can have
at least
and
scarcely per-
and all the associated phenomena of
little
habits thousands,
The
shell,
at the sides,
where the joining
studded with protruding glands of yellow.
when
it
It is exceedingly curious to observe the
wonderful
short,
its
the general covering of the body,
and the whole surface
act of respiration, this
CyprcBa
in action, the mantle, as
encloses, folding
at the top,
that
through
creature,
porcelain-like dwelling on
When
is
meeting
must of necessity be
enabled to move steadily along by the action
back, its
its
little
The
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
ofier
curious Eazor-
habit of burrowing, would form a
very curious object; and the Cockles, from the rich
Plate X.
1.
Actinia crassicornls.
2.
A
group of^erpula coniortupUcau.
OE, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATBES.
colour of their beautiful fringes
opened
partially
for feeding
when
the shells are
and breathing, are very
beautiful additions to the collection.
The means or Cockle,
of
movement of
and other
bivalves,
common
the
Scallop,
by means of a
single
fleshy " foot," have been described in speaking of
MoUuscs in general but the spinous Cockles, Cordium aculeatum and C tubercutum, have been termed the ;
aristocracy of the Scallop tribe.
The
valves of the
open three-quarters of an inch, exhibiting a portion of the spongy-looking fleshy mantle, which is
largest
of a pellucid orange colour.
At the end
is
protruded
a double tube, thick and short, enveloped in a fringe
The
which has been
of cirrhi
or tentacles.
compared
to a tongue, is smooth, glossy,
foot,
transparent, like scarlet cornelian,
well understood by
its
and
possessor that
its
its
and semiuse
is
so
motions are
very rapid. It moves about with great activity in an Aquarium, insomuch that some specimens sent by the Rev. C. Kingsley to Mr. Gosse, startled that gen-
tleman one morning by the noise they were creating,
among
the pebbles and other objects of his tank, by
their violent
Many
movements.
other kinds of shells might be mentioned if
space permitted, but I must content myself with mentioning, en passant, the polished Donax, which, when
OCEAJSr
the animal displays
with
colouring, fringes,
itself,
its
exhibiting
real
its
bright
yeUow
stripes
and gay pink
ornament
to the drawing-
curious
would form a
room sea.
GAEDENS, ETC.
I must just hint, also, the introduction of a
specimen of the Tritonia Sombergi, remarkable for a
power of producing an audible sound
like the click of
a steel wire.
The
pretty
little
bivalve, the
lAma
hians,
is also
a very attractive addition to the Aquarium, especially in motion,
when
its
long orange fringes shape them-
selves into a train, or tail, like that of a " fiery comet," as Dr.
Landsborough has observed, while
along, propelled
the
mechanism
swimming
by
for the propulsion of
apparatus.
it
ghdes
the discharge of a jet of water,
which forms
its
CHAPTER
VII.
THE ASCIDIANS, BARNACLES, SEA-CUCUMBEES, NAKED MOLLUSCS, SEA-WORMS, ETC.
GROUP
of Ascidians forms a very curious object
"^Yf^
Aquarium,
the
for
their
^^ii%r' sh^P^s being singular, and sometimes delicate as a transparent egg-
^
shell.
Those delineated in Plate VII. will
convey some idea of the general appearance of these creatures, whose habitations might
be taken for a store of fairy pitchers, placed snugly in their submarine china-closet for extra
safety,
as a further fifty
and
means of concealment.
native
There are above
species, varying greatly in appearance.
They may be found water,
covered vnth sea-weed
partially
many having
at the
extreme verge of low
the aspect
formed of a substance between
of
pellucid bags,
jelly
and leather;
while others present a far more robust and rugged appearance, both in form
very dingy in rarely
found
colour,
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;are
very
and
but
a
texture.
few
attractive, 89
Some
species
and
are
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;more
sometimes
OCEAN aAEDENS; Ascidia mentula
brilliant in their hues.
is
a kind
which may generally be procured of any of the dealers.
The Barnacles must not be omitted
in furnishing
Aquarium, nor the fable connected with the
an
Common is
it
Barnacle [Fentelasmis anatifera), in which
affirmed that the Barnacle Geese were
Our
offspring.
old
naturalist
Gerard
not
their
only
gives a detailed account of
which
this
the transformation by wonder of the good old times was accom-
but
plished,
positively
illustrates
his
description
with an engraving, in which the metamorphosis
is
Mr. Lloyd has generally in stock
seen in progress.
Balomis belanoides and Dyrgoma anglicum.
The
tube-like cells of the Serpulce
resemblance to the
but that of the is
much
it
of the
Common
Barnacle,
solitary Serpula,
Serpula tubularia,
taUer, often rising a foot
from the substance
adheres
feeding,
cells
have some
to.
The
fan-like
and perhaps
also
feathers,
forming the
the breathing apparatus,
of Serpula contortuplicata, are exceedingly rich in colour, as to the
is
also the
tube when
drawn, and which for in,
member which
acts as a " cork"
the feather-like tentacles are withis
familiarly termed the " stopper
;"
when, on alarm, the feathers are suddenly drawn the " stopper" immediately follows, shu.tting up
BENEATH THE WATERS.
OR, GLIMPSES
the opening of the tube in a very perfect manner.
This organ
is
a brilliant
scarlet,
often of a rich orange, and the feathers
though they are sometimes
shown
or nearly white, as
organs,
like
breathing the
The
of
mud
shell.
of
X.
in Plate
to
act
an
form their tube
allied tribe, is
always of hard
The golden-combed worm, Ampliitrite
coma, another singular creature of
it
scarlet gills, sUghtly
leaves
its
this class,
auri-
may be
Just below the cork-
best alluded to in this place.
hke head, when
as
water which pass between their
Sabellce,
while that of the Serpula
;
These fan-
appear
feathers,
by separating the oxygen from
organs,
currents
fibres.
termed
pale,
tubular sheU, are the
resembhng those of
fishes,
and
across the head the golden comb-like appendage
expanded, from which
When
it
derives
the animal retires within
its
its
popular name.
tube, the upper
part of the head has, like the Serpulce,
pearance of a cork or small stopper. is
one of the most curious of
The Balani, parasitic,
Whelk
or
tentacles,
of the
fixing
all
the ap-
This creature
its class.
or Acorn-sheUs,
themselves
to
which the
some other univalve, spread
when seeking
is
are generally shell
of
the
their crimson
food, exactly in the
manner
SerpulcB, the feathery filaments forming
kind of living casting-net, as
it
a
has been observed,
;
OCEAN GAEDENS in
which
minute Annelid or Infusory
tlae
is
en-
Two Balani are represented shell of a Common Whelk.
tangled and devoured. in Plate VII.
on the
The SolotJmriadce, singular
creatures
or Sea-Cucumbers, are very
waters, exhibiting
as
as it floats in the
form,
their
;
good a miniature representa-
Gherkin
tion of a small pickled
as
can be conceived,
except in colour, the shells or cases of these ani-
mals being generally white.
One
of the
species,
Hyalina, has a case which seems formed of rice-paper,
colour
and
is
covered
and texture.
spines of the
-svith
The
tentacula,
or
crisp
same
breathing
apparatus, eight in number, are curiously branched,
and,
when expanded, have
skeleton flower,
appearance
the
a
which the figure in Plate IX.
of
will convey a tolerable idea.
The
functions of this
flower-like set of organs are probably the
same
as
of the Nudlbranch class of Molluscs, which,
those
though generally considered apparatus,
are,
are Hquid
being a breathing
as
probably, at the
coUecting organs, as
all
same time food-
the creatures thus furnished
feeders.
Thy one papulosa, one
species of
Sea-Cucumber,
has ten branches to this set of organs, which
dom
of
disphiys
motion
when
artificially
in captivity
;
but a
little
it sel-
gentle
imparted to the water, as sug92
OE, GLIMPSES
BENEATH TEE WATERS.
gested in another place, would probably produce the
kmd
of excitement requisite for their expansion, as
the introduction of fresh water to the tank seldom fails to
produce
When
this effect for a time.
irri-
tated, these creatures
have the capacity of committing
self-destruction in a
most determined and complete
manner, by expectorating the whole of the
and leaving
their case or shell bare
intestines,
and empty.
But
Sir J. Dalzell has observed that the shell, thus deprived
of
its
must be much more intimately
living inmate,
connected with shells of the
its
life
Molluscs
;
and organization than the
for, after
a considerable lapse
of time, he observed that the rejected parts have been
The
renewed by gradual growth.
introduction of a
single drop of fresh water will at once
creature to this
summary mode
the inconvenience.
sale,
his list as Fentactes pentacta
the
of putting an end to
Mr. Lloyd has generally two
of Sea-Cucumber on
cies
drive
spe-
which he describes
in
and Ocnus brunneus.
OF THE NAKED OR SHELL-LESS MOLLUSCS.
The Sea-Lemon, Doris most its
is
one of the
name from half a Lemon
It derives its popular
attractive.
peculiar form,
tuberculata,
which
cut longitudinally.
It
is is
like that of
generally of a yellow tone
of colour also, which greatly adds to the fancied re-
OCEAN G-AEDENS; semblance.
It has its
breathing apparatus exposed
externally, like other Nudibranchs, spreading over the
mantle, near the head, in a flower-like shape it
;
and, as
moves slowly round the Aquarium, forms a very
singular object.
The Doris pilosa same order
;
and the
is
a pretty white species of the
little
black shining Nudibranch,
Muncina Sancoci, is a pretty and interesting creature. But the handsomest of the Nudibranch, or nakedterm might be Englished,
gilled tribe, as the
is
the
Eolis corroiuda, which forms certainly a splendid
ornament
to the
Aquarium.
Its
pellucid indistinct tone, of pinkish
general colour
hue
;
is
a
the papillae or
branchiae are in clusters, and the central canal
is
of a
Difi"erent parts of the surface reflect
rich crimson.
the brightest metallic colours, and the whole creature
has a very gem-like appearance. very active. of
making a singular
The
In captivity
it is
Another species of Eolis has the power clicldng noise, like the Tritonia.
AplysicB, or Sea-Hares, have been unenviably
celebrated
among
virulent poison.
their
The
congeners as containing a
species
common
in the Medi-
terranean, A. Leporince, furnished the A'enom with
which the infamous Locasta destroyed the enemies of Nero; and with which she eventually prepared, at the tyrant's request, a draught for himself, that he
OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
had not the courage to swallow. The British species, A. hybrida, might probably be kept in confinement.
Many
Sea-Worms
of the
Nereis bilineata
is
The
are very beautiful.
very brilliant,
crimson body
its
being brightly marked by two white longitudinal stripes.
The Phyllodoce are a class of Sea-Worms, somewhat resembling the land Centipede, which form curious objects of observation
of food.
when they
are in search
Instead of spreading a set of tentacles, hke
some of the Zoophytes and Molluscs previously scribed, they
de-
have the faculty of turning the cavity
which forms the stomach inside
out, like a stocking,
the inverted organ protruding from
When
considerable distance.
its
mouth
becomes
it
to a
sufficiently
covered with the minute Infusoriae which form food,
it is
position,
drawn
where
it
in,
assuming gradually
remains
till
troduced has been absorbed,
its
natural
the nutriment so
when
its
the operation
inis
repeated.
of the largest and commonest
The Sea-Mouse, one of our marine worms,
is
of a flattened and somewhat
oval form, pointed at each
The
being pale brown. ever,
with which
it
is
end,
its
general colour
clothing of silky hairs, how-
invested,
is
so splendid, glit-
tering in iridescent colours like the plumage of a
;
GAEDENS
OCEAJN"
humming-bird, that Lamarck has appropriately named it
Halithea, or Sea-Goddess
viously given
Venus.
and
it
the
When,
name
indeed,
it
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Linnaeus
of Aphrodite, the Marine receives the rays of Ught,
them from the depths of the
reflects
with prismatic hues, the
efl"ect
and
fro,
tail
when outspread
In the Aquarium as
though anxious
it
crawls rest-
to exhibit its
splendours in every possible point of view.
which change with every
tallic tinges,
by
far
sea, rich
has been compared in
splendour to that of the peacock's in the sunshine. lessly to
having pre-
The me-
position, are
most magnificent by candlelight, when red and
orange hues predominate, while by daylight pearly greens and blues are most frequent.
The bodies of many of the Euricidce and Nereides exhibit changing colours of similar character, though less
splendid
;
but many of them possess an opal-like
tenderness and delicacy of tone in their hues which
is
almost equally attractive.
The
little
brilliant little
Sea-Slug, u^gines ptmctiluceus, creature, well
is
a
worthy the trouble of
being permanently established in our Aquaria. general colour
is
Its
pale reddish-brown; but, with the
aid of a moderate lens,
it
exhibits a
number
of small
black tubercles, in the centre of each of which
is
a
speck of resplendent blue or green, formina' a sue-
OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATEES.
cession of gem-like ornaments that have been com-
pared,
by
enthusiastic naturalists, to sapphires
and
emeralds; but, without exaggeration, the jewelry of
may be
this little creature
Diamond
said to surpass that of the
Beetle, notwithstanding his superior repu-
tation.
A few
Chitons
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a
do well in a tank
modoUna
is
;
sort of
Sea Wood-Louse
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;would
and a specimen of Gastrophceiia
said to have thriven well during
months.
97
many
CHAPTEE
VIII.
THE FISH AND CRUSTACEANS OF THE AQUARIUM.
MARINE
Aquarium may be rendered
very interesting without the introduction of fish
;
but as their presence requires that
by means of additional water, introduced by the syringe or by a the tank should be aerated once each day
drip from another vessel,
many may
prefer the lovely
Sea-Weeds, curious Zoophytes, and beautiful Molluscs, In which case, if the balance between the amount of animal and vegetable life be felicitously alone.
balanced, and the natural scavengers, in the shape of
Periwinkles and other Sea-Snails, for the consumption of decaying vegetable matter, to
perform a similar
office for
and a few Prawns
perishing Infusorice, or
any other animal matter, be properly supplied
tank
may remain
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the
for a long time undisturbed; the
supply of oxygen being ample for the lower classes of
animal
life
alluded
to.
The
beautiful ActinicB, in-
deed, will exist in apparent health for a considerable
time in water in which no vegetable growth has been introduced.
Mr. Gosse describes instances in which
OCEAN &AEDENS,
ETC.
water in glass Aquaria, containing Sea-Anemo-
tlie
has remained perfectly pure for more than a
nies,
year.
The liA'ens
addition of
Aquarium very
con-
and many may not grudge the task of
daily
the general aspect of an
siderably
;
the water, in order to enjoy the cheerful
aerating spectacle
of their agreeable and ever-active
One
ments.
or two
young Flounders, very
young of other
the
very
however, undoubtedly en-
fish,
much
move-
small,
and
species of flat fish, add, indeed,
interest to
an Aquarium
;
partly in conse-
quence of their mode of swimming being so different to that of the class of fishes
eye
is
more
Among
with whose movements the
familiar.
the fish mentioned by the most expe-
rienced in the keeping of Sea Aquaria as best suited to that purpose, the first is the pretty little Tansy,
Blennius pholis, with
many changing hues will
hve and
its
of
bright scarlet eyes, and the
its
fiourish in a
body.
This
little
fellow
tank with a poorer supplj-
of oxygen than any other fish yet tried.
The
fifteen-spined Stickleback,
nacJiia, does well,
his
movements.
and
is
Gasterosteus spi-
very cheerful and brisk in
Three or four would be an improve-
ment to any tank, as with proper management they would doubtless construct their nest, a detailed ac99
;
OCEAN GAEDENS; count of which I have given in
my
" River Gardens."
Other species of Stickleback might also be introduced, as the
whole of the genus has the faculty of living
either in salt, brackish, or fresh water.
Young of the out
grey Mullet, too, do well, even with-
artificial aeration, for, if
the supply of oxygen be
rather inadequate, they are observed
put their
to
heads partly above the surface of the water, and ob-
The black
tain a supply in that surreptitious manner.
Goby, Gobius niger, has but
his
voracious
scruple even his
also
been
character
tried
with success
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; devouring
own congeners
without
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;renders him on the
whole not a very desirable tenant
;
and yet
it is
a fine
sight to see the little warrior turn black with the ex-
citement when he seizes his prey, his turquois-coloured eyes dilating with fury.
Several other kinds are mentioned, in a previous
page, in the first
list
of animals placed by Mr. Gosse in his
experimental Aquarium.
The Pogge,
Aspidophorus cataphr actus,
singularly formed fish that might be added
experiment. clothed
is
The
plate
armour in which
is
a
by way of
his
body
arranged in regular longitudinal
is
lines,
showing eight sharp ridges, running from head to that have a singular and unfish-like appearance.
tail,
In
confinement, however, he does not display himself to 100
or.,
GLIMPSES BENEATH THE ^YATEES.
advantage, generally lying near the bottom of the
Aquarium.
The
beautiful crimson maculations of the Ancient
Wrasse, Labrus maculahis, render him a very desirable tenant
;
but his
size
eight or nine inches long
nient
;
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;small
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;causes him
and, moreover, he
is
to
difficult to
would probably require altogether a
One
specimens being-
be inconve-
manage, and
special treatment.
of the smaller Wrasses, however, Crenilabrus cor-
nubicus, var}'ing
is
He
attractive.
food,
a desirable guest; his minute
and often gay is
colours, rendering
size,
and
him ^ery
an active and eager searcher
for
but never takes any loosely floating object, only
darting at and detaching such atoms as arc attached to the different species of Algge.
The
Pipe-Fish, Syngnathus acus,
is
interesting in
the tank, and also the two-spotted sucker, Lepido-
gaster bimacnlaiits, a prettily-coloured and curious Httle fish,
which has the
faculty of attaching itself to
the side of the tank, or any other hard
flat surface, be-
moans of two singularly-formed ventral fins, which act like those leather suckers by means of which boys enjoy the sport of lifting heavy stones at the end The spawn of this fish is like tiny amber of a string. beads,
and
is
attached to shells
stances. 101
and other
sub-
OCEAN GAEDEXS;
Among the Crustacea fitted for an Aquarium, the Common Prawn, Falcemon serratus, holds the first In the
rank.
devouring portant.
first
place, his cleansing properties, in
decaying animal matter, are most im-
all
But not
movements
:
less
Now, he
interesting are his graceful
peb-
steals stealthily over the
bles or the fronds of the Algse, with his long, slender, hair-like horns in gentle motion,
with
all
the seeming
wariness of a cat (the resemblance being increased, at candle-light,
by the
fiery
glare of the eye)
next,
;
leaving his walking apparatus, or legs, inactive, he
swimming members, which
uses only the
and
flatter,
and bordered with a compact fringe
tating these
he
are larger ;
agi-
instruments with beautiful regularity,
rises in the
water Avith graceful ease (see Plate
VI.), his semi-transparent body, as he ascends, giving to his
appearance a strange and somewhat apparition-
like aspect,
which has caused him
to be
compared
to a
second
feet,
marine spectre.
The PraAvn which
takes
its
food with
are, in fact, two-fingered
carries it to its
mouth.
its
hands or claws, and
The hands
of the ^rs^ pair
of legs are only rudimental in appearance, but are precisely fitted to their special purpose
cleansing apparatus;
and
watch the operations of his
it
is
toilet
:
they are his
most interesting to
when he
uses these
Plate VI.
1.
2
& 5.
Edwardsia
ve^ttra.
Goniaster e(inestres.
4.
Cribella oculata.
.
Pnlmipes membranaceus.
g.
Asterlna glbboaa.
.
Palairaon scrratus.
OE, GLIMPSES BENEATH THE WATEES. fringes as brushes, with
which he
cleanses his
whole
person most thoroughly, being almost unmerciful in the
amount of severe scrubbing
to
which he subjects
himself.
An
allied species,
P.
squilla, is scarcely distin-
guishable from P. serratus ;
but
the
handsome
the size
Prawn, Fardulus annuticornis, about of a Shrimp, is quite distinct, and would
make a
valuable addition to
scarlet-striped
Lobster Prawn, wise been tried.
Athanas nilescens, has likeThe proper management of Shrimps
also,
and Prawns in the tank has discovered state,
and
;
it
for they is,
The
the collection.
not, however, as yet
do not
live
been
long in a healthy
therefore, necessary to procure fresh
specimens very frequently.
Some kinds of Crabs may be admitted, but not many; for several are extremely voracious, and would soon
clear
off all the
naked Zoophytes and
most of the Molluscs.
The Chmbing Crab, Uurynome aspera, resting in a tank from his habits.
is
inte-
His climbing
is
as graceful and skilful as that of a monkey, and when he has succeeded in perching himself upon the
highest point in the tank, he forms a picturesque object.
Crabs, like Pra^vns, are sea-scavengers, and the 103
;
OCEAN GAJIDENS kinds that do not attack living creatures as well as
The
dead are consequently useful in a tank. Fiddler Crab, Farttmus puber,
He
some. fur,
remarkably hand-
brown
clothed, in part, with a velvety
and the bare places of his
shell are of a shining
His eyes are marked with
black. are
is
is
great
scarlet,
and there
a few touches of bright blue about the head.
If introduced, however, his proceedings should be carefully watched, as
it
is
he might prove
possible
very destructive.
There should certainly be a specimen of the
Hermit Crab
in a Whelk-shell
;
and the Cleanser
Crab, Tortunus depurator, has been tried, but these active
and greedy Sea-Spiders must,
as I
have
said,
be
closely looked after. It
remains to speak of the Star-Fish
affords
some of the most beautiful and
naged subjects
for the
which
tribe,
easily
ma-
Aquarium.
In the centre of the lower part of Plate VI. are a large species,
and a small specimen of the beautiful Oeniaster
right, the
to
the
above
;
just
above, to
graceful pink Cribella oculata
right,
the
equestres
Jsieria gihbosa,
;
scarlet
;
further
and immediately
Cribella, the thin leathery species,
the
Palmipes membranaceus All small, easily managed, and especially
bird's-foot Sea-Star,
these species are
the
.
104
OR, Q-LIMPSES
suited to the
BENEATH THE WATERS.
Aquarium
;
as is
also the finely-marked
and long-rayed Ophicoma rosula,
deep scarlet, with bright black marks, and his slender limbs or rays,
his
rendering him a conspicuous
object.
These
Star-Fish glide round the Aquarium, by the aid of their thousand sucker-Hke feet, in a very interesting
manner. All the true Star-Fishes, the Asterice, have the
body divided with sucking
and
filled
and are furnished which are tubular,
into rays, like a star, feet,
or
with water.
these creatures
is
cirrhi,
The
internal
structure of
very intricate and beautiful, and
the skeleton of almost any kind offers the appear-
ance of that of some exquisitely symmetrical flower.
There are fourteen British species of Star-Fish, the finest
papposa,
being the Sun-Star, Solaster
the
disk surrounded with twelve or thirteen rays varying in colour from scarlet to deep purple, the rays being
sometimes of a different colour.
The Luidia fragilissima
is
sometimes two feet across, which British
of
shores.
breaking
or captured
;
It
itself
possesses
also a large kind,
the
into fragments
and, in a
peculiar to the
is
singular faculty
when enraged
work by the lamented Pro-
fessor Forbes, there is a very graphic
account of a
and facetious
specimen that escaped him in a very 105
;
OCEAN GAEDEKS determined way by a suicide
committed in that
manner. of this
Stars
having the power to
class,
known
cate their structure, are popularly
Some
Stars.
but
let
some higher animal
—a
;
as brittle
not so
to consider this facility
affect
very wonderful
dislo-
such suppose for a
moment
man,
—
instance
for
gifted
with a capacity for exploding his trunk and moderately-sized fragments
into
—
butcher would say
at
—
hmbs
into joints,
as
a
any slight provocation, and
then the character of such a power would appear very sufficiently extraordinary.
that
It is possible
the fragments of the disruptured Star- Fish have the
power, in each separate fragment, of renewing the absent portions, and that each remnant a perfect
fish,
may become
the dissevered portions having been
noticed to retain their vitality long after their sepa-
We
ration.
know
that the little
the power of dislocating his leaving
he
is
it
without
between the thumb and
playfully caught
that he has the
not
effort,
finger,
by that appendage
and
when
and, also,
;
power of renewing his caudal extre-
mity within a very therefore
tail
Garden Lizard has
short
impossible,
that the Star-Fish
kind, though of a
may
period.
reasoning
It
is
by
thought analogy,
possess powers of a similar
somewhat more extensive
character.
;
OE, GLIMPSES
The Amnion
BENEATH THE WATEES. sometimes Five-
Star-Fish, called
fingered (Asterias rubens), belongs to the division
JEchmodermata, that
skinned like the Hedge-
is,
hog.
The Sea-Egg, Sea-Urchin, or Egg-Urchins,
as they
are sometimes called, belong also to the EcJimoder-
mafa, or Hedgehog-skinned objects in the
much more Fish
tribe,
form.
Aquarium
class,
the
and form interesting
flat species
exhibiting
evidently their close afiinity to the Star-
common
than those of the more
Mr. Lloyd has generally two
miliaris
and Echinus sphcera, on
tory for marine plants
To
;
species.
spherical
Echinus
sale at his reposi-
and animals.
revert to other classes that occur to
suitable objects for an
Aquarium,
I ma)-
" Red-noses," as they are graphically
me
as
mention the
termed
(^Saxir
cava rugosa), a colony of which, peeping out of their holes in the
and
if
cliff,
would form a very
striking object
a piece of their native rock could be detached
of sufficient depth not to disturb them in the recesses of their tube-like burrows, their removal
would not be
difficult.
When
squirts a stream of water at
he darts back into
his cavern.
'^
en bloque"
touched, the Red-nose
you in
defiance, before
He
a small bivalve,
is
having his inner or immediate home within two rough
brown
shells.
The double-tubed 107
proboscis with
which
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
;
OCEAlf aAEDENS
he
furnished
is
mouth of
to the
pearance of the
extended,
is
when
his cave, in
in search of food,
which position the ap-
ruddy terminus has given
its
characteristic
name
of
to this tribe
How
" Red-noses."
he
contrives to bore a hole in the sohd rock, with any of
members with which he
the soft pulpy
appears a mystery.
furnished,
is
Other Conchifers have,
howe'^'er,
similar capabilities, their ingenuity not being confined to rocks,
and
their industry not being always harmless.
Such, for instance,
worm, a
species of
is
that of the Teredo, or Ship-
which has long proved
to the formation of a
Russian
fleet in
the Black Sea
the late war having, however, proved
impediment
serious
so inimical
a far more
development of that portion
to the
of the Russian naAj-.
The
Sea-Leaf,
formed of twenty thousand, or
more, cradles for young Polypes, object.
It
the
is
is
also a curious
Polyzoon, sometimes called the
Horn wrack.
A
few of the translucent Medusae, in a young
stage of their existence, might be prociu'ed
though
their
transport
would be
and
diflicult;
tried,
and a
group of creatures, of the genus Zoothamnkwi, forming, as the)' do,
an object
like a little tree of glass,
covered with trumpet-shaped talline
bells,
of the same crys-
aspect, each exhibiting its rotating circle of 108
OR, GLIMPSES
minute
cilia
BENEATH THE
"WATERS.
in rapid motion within,
would form a
singular and beautiful complement to the wonders of
the Aquarium, if
and
its
location in
its its
removal from
its
native depths,
new home, could be successfully
managed.
ing
CHAPTER
IX.
CONCLUSION.
N ^rtv
-will
usually
ensure success in the formation of an Aqua-
In the
rium. the
may be
conclusion, a few general remarks
made, the observance of which
Aquarium
is
place, if the vessel in
which
be established be home-made, care
to
must be taken not agreeable smell
first
any cement that has a
to use
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Avhich would be very soon
dis-
fatal to
creatm-es accustomed to the pure waters of the ocean. Scott's
cement
is
said to be better than putty, for
fixing in the glass to the columns at the angles. If cement be used to fix the rock-work of the
miniature marine landscape, let
land cement, which,
when
dry,
filling tlie vessel Avith water, seA'eral
The is
and the
Avater
fit
changed
for use.
best sand for the artificial beach, or bottom,
the Thames' sand, used
be Avashed seAeral times,
that
be the best Port-
must be soaked by
times before the tank will be
clear, before if
it
it is fit
by builders till
for use
;
but this must
the Avater runs oif quite
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;any
other kind of sand,
cannot be procured, must be submitted to
similar Avasliings.
Sea-water can be procured by fur-
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; OCEAir GAEDENS, ETC.
nishing the steward or captain of any Thames steamer, or the guard of a railway in connection with the coast,
with a clean barrel
for carriage
and
;
the charge, in either case,
trouble,
would not exceed two or
three shillings.
The
artificial salt-water
for Zoophytes,
has been found sufiicient
but not for
fish
and other of the
higher class of marine animals, except for a certain given time.
The composition follows
for
sea-water
artificial
is
as
:
Common Epsom
salt
.
.
.
.
3|
oz,
i
oz.
salts
Chloride of magnesium
.
200
grs.
Chloride of potassium
.
40
grs.
*
] .
* Another formula, aa given by Dr. Lankester
:
Oz.
Chloride of sodium
.
.
.
J
Grs.
43i
Chloride of magnesia Chloride of calcium
.
Bromide of magnesia Sulphate of magnesia
Sulphate of
Ume
Such are the proportions iu which the saline constituents of seawater exist in 100
lbs.
of the water
;
that
is
to say, the water of a
special locality, for the proportions vary in different situations,
other distinct substances being held in solution in the sea on
some parts of the coast which are not found Ill
in other places.
—
;
OCEAH GARDENS
To these are added four quarts of water, and when the salts are thoroughly dissolved, say on the foUowig day, the liquid must. be filtered through a sponge
then
it is
;
fit
for use.
Care must be taken to observe whether, when the sun shines and the light
is
bright, the silvery bubbles
of oxygen are properly formed
sea-weeds
;
and
upon the fronds of the
if not, it is certain
plants are not in a healthy state,
that the marine
and must be
re-
newed. IVIr.
Gosse gives the following
to the class of animals
final directions as
and plants that should be
se-
lected in preference for the experiments of beginners.
With
regard to sea-weed, he observes, do not take
Oar-weeds or Tangle; nature, size is
which
the Fuci are of a
difiicult to
manage, and
mconvenient, and they have but
their absence
Of
it is
all
is
little
shmy
as their
beauty,
not to be regretted.
animals, he says, take:
Of
Fish
—Blennies,
Gobies, Wrasses.
Of Molhisca—Aplysia,
Chitons, Scallops,
and Burrowing Bivalves, such
Venus, PuUastra,
etc.
Of
Crustacea
Peri^^inkle, as
—Eurynome,
Portunus puber, Carcinus msenas, Ebalia, Corystes, the Paguri,
gones, and Palsemones, that
Of Annelids
and the CranShrimps and Prawns.
Porcellana platycheles,
—
is,
select Pectenaria, the Sabellae, 112
and the
OR, GLIMPSES
Of
Serpulse.
BENEATH THE WATEES.
Zoophytes
—the
Madrepores, and all
the Actiniae.
Few
will establish an
Aquarium without
deriving
great mental improvement, and the enlargement of their circle of acquirements, in a direction highly
calculated to develop some of the best and highest
Even the
feehngs of our nature. fail
this
cannot
scientific
greatly to enlarge their sphere of knowledge in
new, and almost untrodden,
Even
field
of research.
entomologists, sighing that there are no
Tinise to
add
enormous
to the already
new
no new
list,
Curculios with which to form another volume to the
already portly series
—
hail the
quests
;
Aquarium for,
and other physiological
these
Alexanders, weeping for
new
regions to subdue,
may
as a fertile source of further con-
notwithstanding the numerous and curious
discoveries of recent investigators, the depths of the
ocean are as yet, comparatively speaking, one of the
imtrodden presents
fields of science
— the
;
and a glorious arena
Aquarium' being one of the
channels for the detection of
its
it
fairest
myriads of yet hidden
mysteries.
The marine Aquarium thing, a
mere toy
;
but
is,
it is
however, as yet a play-
destined to become a far
more important means of advancing
science,
and
ministering to popular instruction, amusement, and 113
I
OCEAN GARDENS wonder, than
yet dreamt
is
j
It has yet to
of.
do for
the ocean that which our menageries and vast gardens, devoted to the service of natural history, have
done for the
forests
and mountains of the
terrestrial
portion of our planet.
We
shall yet
have tropical Aquaria, in which the
temperature and qualities of the sea between the
be so successfully imitated, that the glo-
tropics will
rious shells of those regions will
motion
be exhibited in living
our greedily-curious gaze
to
gleaming with unusual dyes
fish
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
sih'ery crimson
will dart
warmed,
as in their
ficially
that
it
we
are
now
deeps, as
it
arti-
tropic ocean, for our
Thi-ough the
entitled to expect
shall exhibit to us the
and
metallic azure,
and glide in tanks
own
delight and gratification.
Aquaria,
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
and intertropical
;
medium
of
from science
wonders of the tropic
has shown us the glorious plumage and
velvet-spotted furs of the denizens of
its terrestrial
forests.
This
is,
in fact, the only thing that
for us to do, in
making a
still
remains
popular display of
fitting
may surpass the doings of the ancients in that field of instruction the wonders of Nature, such as
and
gratification, in
upon a
which
their etforts
scale of magnificence that
approached.
were framed
we have not
yet
OE, GLIMPSES
Even
BENEATH THE WATERS.
in the days of Cyrus,
Xenophon and
graphic
eastern satrap
had
we
learn from the
other sources,
his " paradisus," in
that
every
which the most
curious animals of distant regions were preserved in
a state of liberty, and in a manner suited to their natures, either for the sport of hunting, or for the
curious gratification of the eye.
The Romans, long
before they had attained to the
material wealth of the modern nations of Europe,
had exhibited
to the people of their capital
noblest animals of Asia and Africa.
Even the Gu'affe
and the Hippopotamus were familiar forms
Roman tions
populace
of
;
while, with the great
the west,
the
but quite a recent
creatures
is
remained
to the ancients to
Aquarium,
to render our
of
sight
aU the to
the
modem
na-
these wonderful
gratification.
It only
have exhibited a Titanic
triumph over their labours
in the field of popularized natural history impossible.
Had the
but a
Roman Warrington
germ of such an
furnish the glass
idea,
or Gosse developed
and an Osier
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the Pompey, or
existed, to
Csesar, or Crassus,
would not have been wanting to feast the eyes, both of patrician and plebeian Rome, with an Aquarium containing hundreds of fathoms of sea-water, in which the monsters of the deep would have been exhibited in deadly conflict, and
human
divers,
armed with net
;
;
OCEAN GARDENS
and
trident, like the
of their gladiatorial
retiariae
combats, would have encountered beneath the waters the Shark, the Whale, or the Torpedo, encouraged
by the shouts of crowded
circuses, the centre of
which
would have been a glass-walled ocean.
But a gigantic Aquarium
modem
that yet remains for
which arrive
it
is,
fortunately, a feat
science to achieve,
The day
wiU doubtless accomplish.
when we
—
rolling majestic in
native element, perhaps pursued
the Sword-Fish, or harried by
Or we may
see the dreaded
round the vast
—the
Behemoth
shall see the living
Titan of the deep
by
waves of his
his cruel
enemy
a shoal of Herrings.
Shark
float
round and
glass prison seeking his prey,
Shark-hunter of the South Seas
and will
may
and the
be imported to
—mocking the
exhibit his skUl in a bloodless conflict
attempts of the
sea
monster to seize him, as the
Spanish matador plays long with the infuriated bull
but without necessitating the same catastrophe to the animal, defenceless against the specially-trained skill
of his
human
crystal palaces,
objects of art
globe;
it is
covermg
form the
have already had our
their acres,
and
filled
with
and wealth from every quarter of the
no^ impossible, therefore, that
have crystal-walled will
We
antagonist.
last
seas, in
new
we may
which aquatic menageries
object of fashion 116
and wonder.
OR, GLIMPSES
BENEATH THE WATERS.
For the present, however, the Aquarium is, as I have said, but a toy, yet one full of pleasant instruction;
and
it
doubtless contains the germs of a
development, the precise direction of which
it is
present difficult to guess.
THE END.
London
:
Thomas
Harrild, Printer, 11, Salisbury Square, Fleet Street.
at