Chapter XI. 

 PREPARING THE SPAWNING BED. 



As the goldfish deposits its spawn upon plants that live in the 

 water, it is necessary that the natural condition of things be closely 

 imitated in preparing the bed in which the fish are expected to 

 spawn. These plants can be obtained from any neighboring creek 

 or marsh (that with a gravel bottom preferred). Those marsh plants 

 possessing fibrous roots are either pulled or dug up with their roots 

 entire; they are then washed thoroughly to cleanse them of the 

 adhering mud, and closely examined to see that there are no eggs of 

 other fish or insect larvae upon them. Having secured enough of 

 these for the present, say half a dozen good clumps for each bed, 

 they are then placed loosely in the water of the bed, along that side 

 where the sun shines upon them in the morning. On these roots the 

 females will deposit their eggs Later in the season, when aquatic 

 plants have commenced to grow, these roots can be removed and 

 replaced with such aquatics as the Horn or Waxworth {Ceratophylluni 

 demersum), and the Canal Pest (^Anacharis canadensis). These plants 

 are especially good to catch the eggs when dropped by the fish. 



The water supply is now shut off from the bed, only an occa- 

 sional supply being let in to preserve the proper height at which the 

 water should remain. 



If the goldfish are kept in places where it is impossible to get 

 them out, and their spawn is wanted, large bunches of the fibrous 



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