158 NEW SOUTH WALES 



Roacli (^Leiiciscus rutilus) is a pretty fisli and feeds fast, being very 

 much like carp in its habits and temper, but it is more use for ornament 

 than for the table, and therefore is never spoken of as a fish for 

 acclimatization. The above fish are common, hardy, inexpensive, and 

 easily obtained. A full list on the subject would be a bulky affair. 

 For the rest the works of Francis on Fish Culture may be consulted. 



It should be mentioned that there are two especial enemies of the ova 

 of fish which must not be overlooked. One is the stickleback (Gasteros- 

 teus aculeatus and spinidosus) and the water-beetle, Hydaticus, of which 

 we have five or six species in our ponds. The stickleback is not known 

 to be acclimatized, but might easily be accidentally introduced. No 

 fish cultivation can proceed in the presence of two such enemies. 



Fish may require feeding, and if so, may be assisted by throwing earth, 

 worms, steeped grain or ground malt, and offals of poultry. Larvje of 

 the common blow-fly can easily be bred and thrown to them, as also house 

 flies. "With a long-pointed net large quantities of these can easily be 

 collected, scalded, and thrown to the fish. 



Besides fresh-water, salt-water ponds may also be constructed. They 

 must of course be in places whei-e sea-water can enter at half-tide. The 

 sea-water is to be introduced by means of a sluice at this depth with a 

 proper grating. By this means a regulated amount of water can be 

 maintained at low-tide, and 8 or 10 feet at flood, and the water will be 

 always changing. A great many of these ponds have been constructed 

 in Europe. The flsh kept in them were those of the neighbouring seas, 

 such as turbot, sole, brill, plaice, flounder, rays, skate, herring, salmon, 

 salmon-trout. The depth was usually not much over 12 feet or less 

 than 3 at low water. Various other fishes have been tried, but the 

 above enumerated have succeeded the best. Turtles have been kept in 

 such ponds. The food generally consisted of butchers' offal mingled with 

 blood, besides periwinkles, shrimps, and prawns. The fish in general 

 do not improve by being kept in the ponds, they often become blind for 

 want of shelter. Cod-fish and flat-fish thrive well for a time, as well as 

 the rays and skate. Haddock also does well. There is no reason why 

 the experiment should not be tried with our flat-fish. Those which we 

 catch are all small, and might be reared to a considerable size. 



The ancients were much more advanced in fish culture than ourselves. 

 Artificial pieces of water for fish-ponds are of great antiquity. From 

 the Egyptian paintings we see that those people used them, and they 

 were in common use amongst the Greeks and Romans, coming down 

 even to mediteval times in connection with monastic institutions. M. T. 

 Varro, in his book " De Re Rustica," and Columella, in a work with the 

 same title, both enter fully into the methods of constructing and pre- 

 serving fish-ponds and salt-water vivaria. Columella's book is exceed- 

 ingly interesting and enters into the fullest particulai's, but as it may 

 not be within reach of most readers they can consult the third chapter 

 of the Rev. Dr. Badham's Prose Halieutics, or Ancient and Modern 

 Fish Tattle (London, J. W. Parker, 1854). In this they will find 

 ample details, even to the feeding of the stock and the dietary scale. 

 The most extraordinary announcement in Columella is that the Romans 

 turned lakes and rivers into natural vivaria ; they placed fish and fish- 



