Page:The aquarium - an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.djvu/29

4 with marine inhabitants the other tanks which the Zoological Society proposed to devote to this object that I proceeded again to the coast. The prosecution of that employment during the months of May, June, and July, in the course of which upwards of five thousand specimens of animals and plants passed through my hands, made me acquainted with many curious facts in their economy and habits, and with many interesting traits in their history, which are not recorded (so far as I am aware) in works of science.

The facilities for observation thus afforded me have been augmented by means of Aquaria of various forms and sizes, which I have had made for my own private use, and of which I shall have occasion to speak in the following pages. In them I could mark with leisure and precision the manners of the creatures that were living at home, yet constantly under my eye.

Considering the novelty and curiosity of the exhibition thus offered to the public, and the popularity which it achieved, it may not be uninteresting to treat of a few of the more prominent objects in detail, and of the modes in which they were collected. We generally feel an interest in knowing somewhat of the antecedents of any person or thing that strongly attracts our attention; and in the present case more than idle curiosity may be gratified, since the record of my experiences may be useful to others in forming similar collections, either for public exhibition or for private study.

The idea of maintaining the balance between animal and vegetable life on chemical principles is not quite