54 THE SPORTING FISH 



for themselves. From this time their growth is 

 rapid or slow according to the nature and quality 

 of their food and other local circumstances. 



In order to ascertain the relative nourishment of 

 the different descriptions of food, some interesting 

 experiments were made not many years ago. 

 Trout were placed in three separate tanks, one of 

 which was supplied daily with worms, another with 

 live minnows, and the third with flies. The result 

 was, that the fish fed with worms grew slowly and 

 had a lean appearance, — those dieted on minnows 

 became much larger, — whilst such as were fattened 

 upon flies only, attained in a short space of time ex- 

 traordinary dimensions, — w-eighing twice as much 

 as both the others put together — the quantity of 

 food eaten by them being actually less.' 



On another occasion Trout were kept for many 

 years in a store stream, and tested with various 

 kinds of diet, when it was ascertained that in 

 some instances the increase in weight was as much 

 as gibs, in four years (or from i to lo lbs.) 



Recent piscicultural experiments have demon- 

 strated the great value of the Fresh-water Shrimp 

 ('Gammari ') as an article offish diet, and for feeding 

 young fry on, and I once had an exceptionally good 

 opportunity of verifying the growth-rate of Trout 

 when fed upon this insect. I quote from my 

 volumes on Fishing in Messrs. Longman and Co.'s 

 " Badminton Library of Sport :" — 



' Stoddait, "Art of Ani^ding in Scotland." 



