Synopses & Reviews
CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE INTRODUCTION . - 1 8 CHAPTER 11. CHAPTER TV. CHAPTER VI. STICELEBA AN C D K T S H EIR NEST-BUILDIN . G . 66 CONTENTS. CHAPTElt VII. CHAPTER VIII. It I PTILI. S FOR TILE AQUARIT JI CHAPTER IX. PAGE . 80 LIST A GLASS AQUARIUX. PAGE Design for Planting a Circular Aquarium with h, Sund ew, Forget-me-not, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 PLATE 11. WATER LILIES. No. 1 2. The Water Lily . . . Nymphea alba . . . . 25 3. The Yellow Water Lily . . Nuphr Zutea . 25 4. The SmaUYellow Water Lily . Nupharpumila . 25 PLATE 111. AQUATIC PIXVTS, ETC. 1. Forget-me-not . . . . . dlyosotis palustris . . . 2 6 2. Frogbit . Eydrocharis mmus rani . 32 3. The Water Beetle . . Byticus marginalis . . . 1 01 4. The Larva of the Dyticus . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2 5. The Lesser Water Beetle . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2 6. The Lesser Water Beetle in its Larva state . . . 102 LIST OT PLATES. PLATE IT. FISH. NQ. l N Q . 2. o w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PA 6 Q 4 E 3. The Perch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 4. The Tench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 5. The Roach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 6. Thepike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 9 PLATE V. BTICKLEBACKS AND THEIR NESTS, ETC. FBONTIBPIECE. 1 2. The Common Sticklebacks Gaeterosteus, Trachrue, and their Nests . . .. a d Jeiurus . . . 3. The Water Scorpion . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 05 4. The Marsh Snail . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 5. The Caddis Worm . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5 PLATE VI. GOID-FISH, WATER SNBILS, AND VALISNERIA.. 1. Clold-Fish . . . . . . C ypinm auratus . . . 83 2. Vdisneria . . . . . . v a l z s k a spiralis . 40 PLATE. VII. AQUATIC B EPTaES. 1 2. The, Smooth Newt . . fissotriton punctatus . . 94 3 4. TheLarge Smooth Newt . . . . . . . . . 94 5. The Water Persicaria . . . P olygonum amphibium . 33 LIST OF PLATES . PLATE VIII . AQUATIC PLANTS. ETC . NO . 1 .. The Arrowhead . . - . . S aggitda sagittifolia . . PA 3 O 2 lt 2 . The Yellow Water Iris . Iris Pseudacorus . . . . 24 3 . The Water Soldier . . Stratiot is aloides . 31 4 . The Water Spider . . . . A rgyroneta apuatica . . . 1 05 5 . The Crayfish . . . Astaou sJEzcviatzlis . . . 1 06 6 . The Tree Frog . . Rana arbor ea . 9 1 RIVER GARDENS. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Y the culture of some of our most beautiful fresh-water plants, in glass Aquaria, many of the wild beauties of ature i, n some of her most pleasing and interesting aspects, may be wrought into attractive decorations for our ordinary living rooms, with very little trouble or expense. But this is not the chief object of such Aquaria. Their formation has been suggested by the discovery that the growth of aquatic plants will maintain the water, contained in such a vessel, in a state of purity swflicient for the healthful existence of all kinds of a, nimal life of which water is the natural element. By means of an Aquarium, therefore, the forms and habits of. fish, reptiles, and aquatic insects may be made to develop themselves 1 B ZP RIVER GARDENS under our eyes, undisturbed by the continual necessity of changing the water thus affording us the curious spectacle of many phases of animal life that have hitherto lain concealed in depths inaccessible to the observation of the most curious observer. I can well recollect my first lon, gs, as a voung naturalist, to unravel the mystery of the teeming world of life beneath the waters. The Pictures of those days are still vivid asthings of yesterday...