58 .DISEASES AND ENEMIES. 



cover it over with a laro^e leaf. Xow, there is only one 

 way for the mink to 2:et at the bait, which is by walking 

 over the trap. Some Trout-breeders also try to raise mink 

 for profit as their skins are valuable ; but their habits of 

 eating fish and their custom of getting out of almost any 

 box or yard in which they are confined do not make them 

 agreeable neighbors for the Trout. 



The fish farmer can always tell by looking at his Trout 

 in the morning whether they have been disturbed during 

 the night. If they have been molested, whether by birds, 

 mink or men, they will appear excited and frightened. 

 The water will be discolored by the mud which they stir 

 up as they dart back and forth near the bottom, and the 

 Trout will be nearly all hidden under stones, in the moss, 

 etc. 



There is one kind of Trout which we do not possess in 

 ponds, of which we would very much like a specimen. 

 We mean the Trout which comes to dinner at the sound 

 of a bell, or at the call or whistle of his feeder. Many 

 writers about fish tell us to avoid all noises around the 

 ponds lest they frighten the fish, and to be particularly 

 careful never to fire a gun on the grounds lest the delicate 

 ear of the Trout should be too much affected. ISTow, hav- 

 ing made somewhat careful experiments «dth the vie^^; of writ- 

 ing this, we would only remark that Trout cannot hear the 

 sound of a bell, nor the voice of their feeder, nor even his 

 whistle, neither will they stir one fraction of an inch at the 

 sound of a gun fired one foot above their heads; but the 

 sight of a Trout is very keen, his eyes are magnifying 

 glasses, and make every tiling look larger, and at the same 

 time indistinct. His enemies are to be avoided by the aid 

 of his eyes, and the Trout starts and runs at every sudden 

 motion, whether it is the shadow of the angler, or the fall- 

 ing of a leaf upon the water. But this is not exactly Trout 

 breeding; let us return to the subject. 



