Collecting for natural history exhibitions in late nineteenth-century Melbourne enjoys popular support

The Exhibition Aquarium is an. institution of quite recent growth, as its construction was not commenced till 1884, when several small experiments were made as to the practicability of establishing a salt-water Aquarium at such a distance from the coast. These experiments were successful, and the Trustees of the Exhibition Building considered themselves amply justified in proceeding with the preliminary works, which have been added to from time to time until the present result has been obtained.