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straight planed lath, an inch and a half broad, which, therefore, stood half an inch above the surface of the board. The laths did not come quite to the corners of the board, for I left a space of an inch on each side of every angle. This board, with the lath at its edges, is represented in figure 1. I now cut out, from the same lath (which was a quarter of an inch thick ) , two pieces , in the form of figure 2. Both were 11 inches long ; and the first was five-eighths of an inch broad at the top, and one inch at the bottom ; the other was seven-eighths of an inch broad at the top, and an inch and a quarter at the bottom. These, by means of a little glue and sprigs, I fastened together at right angles at the edges, and stuck a little brass ornament on the top, when it presented the appearance of figure 3 . The greater width at the bottom extends upward for an inch and a half; and you will perceive that when this was applied to one of the corners of the board, figure 1 , it would just fit in the opening. As I wanted four of these, viz : one for each corner, and as they must be very strong, I took this model to an iron foundry, and obtained four castings from it. Two screw holes were now drilled through each, not opposite to each other, for then the screws would meet in the wood, but in the positions shown by the small circles in figure 3. Having now obtained the standards, I screwed them firmly to the corners for which they were intended, which completed the vessel as far as is represented in figure 4. It now remained to fit in the glass . For this purpose I procured some putty from the glazier. I first spread some putty all round the edge of the board forming the bottom, and put a few portions in the middle ; it is not necessary to cover all the board ; if the edges are carefully done all round, and a little in the middle, the glass will be held quite firmly, leaving a margin of an eighth of an inch all round. The inside of the standards, which I first painted with white paint, now had some putty { applied to them, and the sides and ends filled in. A slight framework round the top completes the vessel.
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No white lead should be allowed to get inside, as it will prove injurious to the fish. After remaining in this state for a few days, and being tried and found water-tight, it was time to think of stocking it. I covered the bottom with sand, which I washed several times previously to remove the clay which was mixed with it, added a few pebbles, also washed and scrubbed very clean with a brush , and then filled up with rain water. In half an hour the sand had all subsided, and left the water clear ; if the sand had not been well washed before using it, this operation would have required several days, and even then have been liable to be stirred up easily. I then obtained some aquatic plants from a pond, and planted them in the sand at the bottom ; afterward, I procured some fish-but yet I lacked a few water insects. To catch these, I set forth early in the morning, armed with a walking- stick, a piece of stout wire, a small net, and a vessel to contain and carry home my specimens. I bent the wire into a circular form, put the net on it, and attached them to the end of my walking- stick. With this instrument I soon captured several insects, and two or three freshwater shell-fish, which, on my return, were speedily transferred to their future home. I would strongly recommend any person who is fond of Natural History- who delights to study and observe the habits of animals—and who can, as it were, converse with a frog or a lizard, to construct one of these Aquariums, as even if they possess little mechanical skill they can scarcely fail, and with regard to specimens cannot go wrong. The total cost of mine was about one dollar. Little trouble is required to keep it in order— removing decayed leaves, and adding more inhabitants when the vessel appears capable of sustaining them, constitute the chief points of care. Some recommend that the water should never be changed, and others that a small quantity of water should be taken out every day, and an equal quantity very gently added. I follow the latter practice.
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