]58 riSH HATCHIXG. 



Mr. Ponder and Mr. Francis Francis are, I 



know, in favour of turning the fish out into the 



Thames at once — i.e., when they begin to feed 



— and this because, if the fish is turned down 



in a state of babyhood, he has to " graduate 



through all his difficulties," and learns to shift 



for himself ; whereas, if kejDt as a semi-tame 



fish for several months, when turned down he 



goes gaping out till Master Jack comes and 

 gobbles him up, and " is dead " (as the 



Yankees say) "before he knew what had 

 hurt him." Anyhow, I have a curious fact 

 to mention. When Mr. Ponder was repairing 

 the boxes towards the end of last year, get- 

 ting ready for this year's ova, he found three 

 or four young fish (hatched out last season) 

 which had been residing under the boxes 

 since they were hatched. These fish are now 



