reservoir
of sea-water.

It is not easy to speak with due admiration of the scientific skill, the
loving patience, the mindfulness of the public good which must have gone
to the forming of this Public Aquarium. With what different eyes must
innumerable "trippers" from the less-educated masses of our people look
into tide pools or crab holes, during their brief holiday at the
seaside, if they have previously been "trippers" to the Crystal
Palace, and visited the Great Aquarium.

Let us hope that it may stir up some sight-seers to be naturalists, and
some naturalists to devote their powers to furthering our too limited
friendship with the sea-gentry. How much remains to be done may be
gathered from the fact that we can as yet keep no deep-sea Merrows in
aquaria, only shore-dwellers will live with us, and not all of these.
And so insuperable, as yet, are the difficulties of transport, that
"distinguished foreigners" are rare indeed.

Still, as it stands, this Great Aquarium is wonderful--wonderful
exceedingly. There is a still greater one at Brighton, holding greater
wonders--a baby alligator amongst them--and we are very glad to hear
that one is to be established in Manchester also.

It has been well said that a love of nature is a strong characteristic
even of the roughest type of Britons. An Englishman's first idea of a
holiday is to get into the country, even if his second is apt to be a
search for the country beer-house.

Of birds, and beasts, and trees, and flowers, there is a good deal even
of rustic lore. Of the wonders of the deep we know much less.

Thousands of us can sing with understanding,

O Lord, how manifold are thy works!
In wisdom hast thou made them all.
The earth is full of Thy riches.

Surely hereafter more of us shall swell the antiphon,

So is the great and wide sea also,
Wherein are things creeping innumerable,
Both small and great beasts.

* * * * *

NOTE.--A Great Aquarium (and something more) is being made
at Naples by a young German naturalist--Dr. Dohrn, of Stettin--at
an expense of between L7000 and L8000, nearly all of which comes
out of his own pocket. The ground-floor of the building (an area of
nearly eight thousand square feet) is to hold the Great Aquarium.
It is hoped that the money obtained by opening this to the public
will both support the Aquarium itself, and do something toward