The aquarium: an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea / by Philip Henry Gosse.

  • Philip Henry Gosse
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The aquarium: an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea / by Philip Henry Gosse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    air, with tlie quantity of vegetable matter required, as compared -with the size and rank in creation of the animal, would he a problem well worthy of solution.”* In the same year (1842) Dr. Johnston published his “History of British Sponges and Lithophytes,” in which, arguing out the vegetahility of the latter, he mentioned in a note Avhat is the most germane of all to our pmqiose,—the actual formation of a little Marine Aquarium. To Dr. Johnston therefore, as I think, must he assigned the honour of the first accomplishment of this object. His words are as follows: — “ Was there a need of adding any additional proof of the vegetahility of the Corallines, an exjieriment now before me would seem to supply it. It is now eight weeks ago since I placed in a small glass jar, containing about six ounces of pure sea-water a tuft of the living Corallina officinalis, to which were at- tached two or three minute Confervat, and the very young frond of a green Ulva ; while numerous Rissoce, several little Mussels and Annelides, and a Star-fish were crawling amid the branches. The jar was placed on a table, and was seldom disturbed, though occa- sionally looked at; and at the end of four weeks, the water was found to be still pure, the Mollusca and other animals all alive and active, the confervie had grown perceptibly, and the coralline itself had thrown out some new shoots, and several additional articula- tions. Eight weeks have now elapsed since the experi- ment was begun,—the water has remained unchanged. •On tho Growth of Plants, p 70.
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