served in a
bottle. It is only like a mouse from being about the size of a mouse's
body, without legs, and with a lot of rainbow-coloured hairs. You may be
astonished to hear that it is classed among the worms. There is a
sea-mouse in the Great Aquarium. I did not see him; perhaps because he
is given to burrowing. If he is not in one of the two tanks just named
he is probably in No. 21 or No. 25. He is so handsome dead and in a
bottle, that he must be gorgeous to behold alive and in a pool. You
should look out for him.

It is a disappointing feature of this water wonderland that some of the
"sea-gentlemen" are apt to hide, like hobbledehoy children, when
visitors call. Indeed, a good many of them--such as the swimming-crabs,
the burrowing-crabs, the sea-scorpions, and the eels--are night-feeders,
and one cannot expect them to change their whole habits and customs to
be seen of the British public. Anyhow, whether they hide from custom or
caprice, they are quite safe from interference. Much happier, in this
respect, than the beasts in the Zoological Gardens. One may disturb the
big elephant's repose with umbrella-points, or throw buns at the brown
bear, but the "sea-gentlemen" are safe in their caves, and humanity
flattens its nose against the glass wall of separation in vain.

When I looked into Tank No. 5, however, there were several
swimming-crabs and sea-scorpions to be seen. The sea-scorpions are fish,
but bold-faced, fiery, greedy little fellows. The swimming-crabs are
said to be "the largest, strongest, and _hungriest_" of English crabs.
What a thought for those they live on! Let us picture to ourselves the
largest, strongest, and _hungriest_ of cannibals! Doubtless he would
make short work even of the American Giant, as the swimming-crabs, by
night, devour other crabs, larger but milder-tempered than themselves.
It speaks volumes for the sea-scorpions, who are small fish, that they
can hold their own in the same pool with the swimming-crabs.

Tank 4 contains big spider-crabs, who sit with their knees above their
heads, winking at you with their eyes and feelers; or scramble out
unexpectedly from dens and caves here and there, high up in the rocky
sides of the pool.

Nos. 6, 7, and 8 contain fish.

It really is sad to think how completely our ideas on the subject of cod
spring from the kitchen and the fish-kettle. (As to our cod-liver oil,
we know no more how much of it has anything to do with cod-fish than we