RED WORMS TO FEED YOUNG FISH. 401 



the stones and fouls the water to a great injur}^ of the 

 inhabitants of the troughs. 



Another substance often used for feeding young fish, 

 and which is not at all objectionable, j)rovided the 

 troughs be kept thoroughly clean, is the roe of soles. This 

 is a discovery of the Marquis of Exeter, and he kindly- 

 told me about it. Here is a riddle. '' What is smaller 

 than a mite's mouth ? " Answer : ''That which goes into 

 it." The mouth of the baby trout or salmon is exceedingly 

 small. The roe of the sole is exceediDgly small, small 

 enough for the young fish to get it into his mouth and 

 swallow it. The sole's roe of course must be boiled and 

 broken up by the fingers. 



I have of late years been fortunate enough to discover 

 w^hat is the very best possible food for young fry ; this 

 food consists of red mud- worms from the bed of the 

 Thames. These worms being placed in saucers in the 

 troughs, have the happy knack of twisting their tails 

 together into a ball, while they move their heads about, 

 giving very much the appearance of a ball of red plush. 

 The wriggling motion of these worms attracts the attention 

 of the young fish, and they will feed upon them greedily. 

 The discovery of these worms as food for young fry is 

 one of the greatest in modern fish breeding. These red 

 worms, though plentiful in nature, cannot be obtained 

 anywhere in London except from one man, whose name 

 and address is Mr. Newman, 32, Thanet Street, Burton 

 Crescent, Euston Eoad. 



He will send the worms in a wet cloth. When not 

 wanted for use, they will keep very well in a basin under 

 a dripxnng water tap. 



27 



