110 NEW YORK” ZOOLOGICAL, SOCIBiY, 
on gravelly bottom and guard them. All are good food-fishes, are 
caught with a greater variety of baits than most fishes and rise 
to the fly. 
Common Cathsh, (Ameiurus nebulosus). If you must have 
a fish-pond, and do not intend to give it any attention whatever, 
stock it with catfish. They will come as near to raising them- 
selves as anything you can get except carp. If you want fish to 
catch and fish to eat, and perhaps some to sell, try catfish. There 
are several chances out of ten that they will grow without care, 
and they can be kept in ponds containing other fishes. Catfish 
for stocking can be found anywhere, are easy to transport, and 
there are several kinds from which to select. One of the best is 
the marbled catfish (4A. marmoratus). They will weigh three- 
quarters of a pound when one year old, and three pounds when 
three years old. They can be caught with hook and line, and so 
easily that children will do most of the catching. Any kind of bait 
will do, and they can usually be caught in winter when other fishes 
are half torpid. When taken from a muddy pond they should be 
put in a tank of running water for a few days, when their flavor 
will be all right. All catfish should be skinned before cooking. 
They are as near boneless as any fish to be found, and if you have 
been falsely educated as to their edible qualities, just try them. 
According to negro philosophy “a catfish on the line is worth 
two whales in the water.” 
A BRIEF LIST OF USEFUL WORKS ON FISH-CULTURE: 
A Manual of Fish-Culture—By fish culturists in the service of 
the United States Bureau of Fisheries. Original edition pub- 
lished in the Report of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1897, 
pages 1-340. Revised edition published separately in tg00. The 
most useful work on the subject, especially to professional fish 
culturists. Probably out of print. It may sometimes be found 
on the shelves of second-hand book dealers. Separate chapters 
on the basses, crappies, etc., distributed free by the Bureau of 
Fisheries, Washington, D. C. 
Modern Fish-Culture in Fresh and Salt Water. Fred Mather. 
A useful work of 333 pages by an experienced fish culturist. 
Contains important matter on ponds and their management. New 
York, 1900. 
The Habits and Culture of the Black Bass. Dwight Lydell. 
Published as follows: Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission for 
