152 NATIVE AQUARIUM FISHES 



These small seines as purchased are poorly equipped with floats and 

 sinkers, the former being too heavy and the latter too light. A great 

 improvement can be made by adding large cork floats, binding split pieces 

 together across the top line. The sinkers should be twice as heavy and 

 twice as numerous as supplied. Pieces of half-inch split lead pipe can 

 readily be used to correct this defect. 



If fishes are at all plentiful the hauls are large. Care should be exer- 

 cised to immediately return all specimens not wanted, and it will be the 

 part of wisdom to want few. By crowding in cans on the home trip many 

 fishes die and the rest arrive in such poor condition that their lives in 

 captivity are short. The hands should be wet before touching a live fish. 

 This is well known among fish culturists. 



The ordinary 18-inch folding hand-net is used in small streams where 

 one can make a dash into the deeper depressions by the banks. This is 

 done by an overhead, downward swoop, executed with the greatest pos- 

 sible speed. The net is continued in rapid motion, pulling it over the 

 bottom towards the feet of the operator. This is the only way to achieve 

 any degree of success. The up-scoop is the natural way to go about it, 

 but this ends in absolute failure. 



With this net, too, we need some alterations. Take off the net from 

 the folding frame. Slip about 100 of ^-inch upholsterers' brass rings 



Fig. 120. Proper Way to Connect Hand Net to Metal Frame 



on the frame. Now interweave, parallel to the frame, a strong string be- 

 tween the brass rings and the top loops of the net, thus attaching the net 

 permanently. The object of this arrangement is to prevent the cutting 

 of the net when the frame drags over stones and other obstacles. Also 

 the net itself can be improved for our purposes. It should be of a quarter- 

 inch mesh and about 24 inches deep. Dyeing it a dark color is a still 

 further improvement. 



