Ocean Gardens. The History of the Marine Aquarium / and the best methods now adopted for its establishment and preservation.

by Henry Noel Humphreys

10. Plocamium coccineum.

11. Phylophora rubens.

12. Zostera marina.

In a few days the water, poured carefully to these specimens, became clear as pale green crystal, the green tinge being too slight to obscure the colour of any object seen through its medium.

From these weeds alone, before any supply of Zoöphytes or Molluscs were intentionally added, a whole host of minute animal life 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 had been taken, as in a net. Among these swarming creatures were Annelids of the genus Syllis, Rissoæ, and other minute shell-fish, but principally Isopodous and Entomostracous Crustacea, many of them being so minute as not to be perceived without the use of a powerful lens.

Of the animals next placed in this tank, of only two feet by one foot six inches, the following is the list given:—

FISH.
1. Fifteen, Spined Stickleback	Gasterosteus spinachia.
2. Seven, Gray Mullet (young)	Mugil capito.
3. One, Black Goby	Gobious niger.
4. One, Corkwing	Crenilabrus cornubicus.
5. One, Five-bearded Rockling	Motella 5-cirrata.
6. One, Great Pipe-fish (young)	Syngnathus acus.
7. One, Worm Pipe	Syngnathus lumbriformis.
SHELLS, MOLLUSCS, ETC.
1. Two, Ashy Top	Trochus cinerarius.
2. One, Navel Top	Trochus umbilicatus.
3. Three, Common Periwinkle	Littorina littorea.
4. Three, Yellow Periwinkle	Littorina littoralis.
5. One, Purple	Purpura lapillus.
6. One, Scrobicularia.
7. One, Anomia.
8. Two, Common Cockle	Cardium edule.
9. Two, Ascidia.
CRUSTACEA, ETC.
1. Two, Hermit Crab	Pagurus Bernhardus.
2. One, ditto	Pagurus Prideauxii.
3. Four, Sand Shrimp	Cragnon vulgaris.
4. One, Prawn	Palæmon serratus.
5. Three, Crown Worm	Serpula triquetra.
6. Three, White-line Worm	Nereis bilineata.
ZOÖPHYTES.
1. Two, Thick-horned Anemone	Actinia crassicornis.
2. Three, Weymouth Anemone	Actinia clavata.
3. Two, Parasitic Anemone	Actinia parasitica.
4. Six, Plumose Anemone	Actinia dianthus.
5. Five, Daisy Anemone	Actinia bellis.

There were thus above seventy specimens, animal and vegetable, already in the tank, without counting the swarms of smaller creatures, some the young of large species, daily increasing in size; yet, our bold experimentalist, anxious to conquer his “Russia” at one grand invasion, still poured in fresh specimens. These consisted of:—

FISH.
1. One, Æquorial Pipe-fish	Syngnathus æquoreus.
MOLLUSCS, CRUSTACEANS, ETC.
1. One, Rough Doris	Doris pilosa.
2. Two, Magus Top	Trochus magus.
3. One, Nerit	Natica Alderi.
4. One, Squin	Pecten opercularis.
5. One, Pholas	Pholas parvæ.
6. One, Pisa	Pisa tetraodon.
7. One, Cleanser Crab	Portunus depurator.
8. One, Ebalia	Ebalia Pennantii.
9. One, Hermit (small)	Pagurus . . . . . .
10. Three, Lobster Prawn	Athanas nilescens.
STAR-FISH, ETC.
1. One, Brittle Star	Ophiocoma rosula.
2. One, Eyed Cribella	Cribella oculata.
3. Two, Scarlet Sun-Star	Solaster papposa.
4. One Bird’s-foot Star	Palmipes membranaceus.
5. Three, Gibbons Starlet	Asterina gibbosa.
6. One, Purple-tipped Urchin	Echinus miliaris.
7. Seven, Scarlet Madrepore	Balanophillia regia.
8. Three, Cloak Anemone	Adamsia palliata.

These additions brought the collection up 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.” Although his collection was superb, and 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 ocean that have yards—fathoms—of their native element to their own separate share, cannot accommodate themselves to the allotment system, in the proportion of a square inch to each individual.