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MR. C. L. sadly troubled with. it. Healthy fish put into the tanks would be mouldy in a 

 JACKSON. j a y or ^. wo some ti m es ; some would pull through, while others got smothered. 

 Our losses were so serious that I persuaded our directors to allow me to have a 

 large reservoir and pumps so as to use the same water continuously, pumping 

 it round exactly as we do with the salt water. We constructed two large 

 reservoirs holding nearly 100,000 gallons, and put down pumps. On getting 

 to work, the water gradually became beautifully clear, highly oxygenated, 

 and the fish recovered. The splendid collection of carp, presented to us by 

 Prince Christian, in particular were very badly affected, but speedily got clear, 

 and never were attacked again. So certain was it that the fungus could not 

 stand before the very healthy condition of the water, that we had no hesitation 

 in putting into the tanks affected fish, for if not on the point of death, they 

 recovered. About a year since we received a quantity of char from Winder- 

 mere, which had evidently been in a tainted coop, they exhibited fungus at 

 once, but those that did not die almost at once soon recovered, and the disease 

 did not attack one of our own stock. I have frequently, when fishing on 

 Windermere in summer shut up a quantity of perch, &c. in a coop floating on 

 the lake, and in two or three days have found them almost smothered. So 

 utterly impossible has it been to introduce the fungus into our tanks even to 

 experiment on, that I was obliged to apply to Mr. Carrington, of Westminster, 

 who kindly gave me some fish to examine, which he said had only been in his 

 store tank two or three days. So much for the old customer, it can certainly 

 easily be grappled with by proper circulation and aeration, is often quick in its 

 action, but by proper arrangement is curable. 



At the latter end of last year we purchased from Scotland a quantity of carp 

 and tench ; several of these had small white marks, but they were very little, 

 and did not resemble the aquarium fungus, so were taken little notice of. In 

 time, however, they began to spread, but still so slowly that we did not suspect 

 what was the matter until about two months since, when several of them became 

 very sore. A gentleman, whose name I cannot ascertain, first alarmed us by 

 pronouncing it to be salmon disease. The fungus then appeared in blotches 

 on several fish, which became very emaciated, and showed very inflamed places. 

 I was going from home, but Mr. Long put them in a store tank ; unfortunately 

 one of the men threw them away, and when I returned there were no fish with 

 fungus very mature. I took, however, a couple showing sore places, and sub- 

 jected them to a careful examination. Under the microscope the inflamed 

 places showed numerous points of irritation towards which the blood was pouring 

 through very much distended capillaries, presenting a most curious and beautiful 

 sight. 1 have seen exactly the same appearance (and in fact have produced it 

 to show the phenomena of inflamation) in the web of a frog's foot, by touching 

 it with a needle dipped in nitric acid, or some such irritant. 



Soon after this tbe blotches on some of the fish became very ripe, and the 

 fish died. On placing the fungus under the microscope it was clearly Sajiro- 

 legnia. All these fish showed much inflammation, and in many places where 

 there was no fungus. On examining the gills it appears clear that this is the 

 fatal point of attack ; they were very slimy, and had unhealthy marks on them. 

 Taking a little mucus from these and examining it, proved it to be one mass of 

 Saprolegnia. Mr. Long drew my attention to the death of a number of tench, 

 which had rapidly gone to skin and bone, and died without external sign of 

 disease. Suspecting that in some cases the fungus might attack the gills only, 

 I examined them and found it was so, the gills were unhealthy and full of ripe 

 fungus. 



The disease hitherto has run its course, and killed off chiefly the tench we 

 imported, but has also attacked the splendid golden tench presented to us by 

 Mr. Higford Burr ; some of these are dead, others dying. At the opening of 

 the fishing on Windermere we obtained a very fine shoal of char, and a grand 

 specimen of lake trout, about five pounds weight. This fish was attacked a few 

 weeks after it came ; its head became matted over, and it shrank away to a 

 skeleton. The char are now beginning, but in their case they show no sign of 

 fungus externally, except one of them ; but many show very inflamed places, 

 particularly on fins and tail, and they are going as if an internal fire was burning 

 them up. 



I think you will see from the above description that there is a great difference 

 in the action of the two diseases. The Saprolegnia, though comparatively slow 



