The Star certainly has started something.
    Having had our attention called to certain odd species of fish which make their home in the waters of Puget sound, we advocated the establishment of a municipal aquarium, where these creatures might be exhibited to the public. But we never dreamed of what really lies—“really lies”, we think, is a good word—beneath the surface of our innocent appearing bay.
    After all, it seems the common citizens of Seattle can give any naturalist in the world cards end spades, then beat him at his own game. For what naturalist ever heard of the cable cleaning croppie, of the gushington slimeback, or the salvager sucker, or the opium-pipe fish? Or of the two that our correspondents bring to our attention today? Here are their letters:
    Editor The Star: Noticing your laudable efforts to bring before the public eye through the columns of your most illustrious publication the virtues of Puget sound’s finny marvels, I hasten to say that it’s time for the city to get busy.
    You will be able to locate many salvager suckers, opium-pipe fish, gushington slimebacks and cable croppies, but the motor-cop carp have almost annihilated the speedsimp suckers, and unless the city hastens to get one there will be a vacancy in the proposed aquarium for piscatorial rarities. I enclose a sketch of the speedsimp made by my son, who spends much of his time with a water glass watching the antics of the fish.
    The speedsimp suckers are equipped with a horn-like snout which, instead of being an alarm sounder, as it appears in the sketch, is a sort of funnel, through which the fish sucks Its food. That fine array of teeth is for show, an the fish really is without a mouth. Between these—shall I say false teeth—the water passes to the gills. The sucker’s favorite pastime is to race from one end of the sound to the other at top speed, endangering life and fin of the walker perch and mutt dabs. Many of these smaller fish may be found in a maimed condition as the result of the speedsimp’s lack of consideration for the little fellows.

Yours for that aquarium,
U. B. BLUBUB.
Fifth Av. West and Pike St.


NOTE—Kindly have your son send us a picture of the mutt dabs, with detailed description.—(Editor.)