22 



THE 



AQUARIUM 



ik 



hatchery. He was followed almost 

 immediately by Seth Green, and the 

 commercial trout industry in the United 

 States became a fact accomplished. 



Seth Green was not satisfied to keep 

 within one groove but investigated other 

 fields of fish culture, and the outcome 

 was the successful propagation of shad, 

 white fish and pike-perch, and the in- 

 vention of the jar system, which now 

 enables the National and State govern- 

 ments to hatch billions of valuable food 

 fishes annually and all from eggs which 

 would otherwise have been absolutely 

 wasted. I say wasted because the eggs 

 of the whitefish, shad and pike-perch 

 used by the fish culturist are from fish 

 taken in the nets for market. 



While fish culture was not discovered 

 by the United States, Americans have 

 given it the greatest attention and made 

 the greatest advances. Consequently 

 the United States leads the world in fish 

 cultural work. 



The Use of Nets for Collecting 

 Aquarium Specimens. 



WM, T. INNES, Jr., Philadeiphlii. 



\ LL kinds of pets which we have 

 ■^~^ caught ourselves hold much more 

 interest than those secured from other 

 sources. We can also provide more 

 suitable surroundings for them when 

 we know first hand what Mother Nature 

 seemed to intend. Our aquarium pets 

 are no exception to the rule, and in 

 consideration of the pleasant outing 

 incident to the collecting expedition, it 

 is little wonder that interest along this 

 line is rapidly increasing. 



Many are deterred from collecting 

 because they don't know how to go 

 about it. I well recall my first failures 

 with a dip net, and the seeming hope- 

 lessness of the undertaking. Followine 



the advice of an expert I had secured 

 a dip net of the folding type, and went 

 forth one bright day to scoop up a few 

 dozen fish. It seems that on this day 

 the fish firmly but gently declined to be 

 taken. In fact most fish refuse to remain 

 still while you sneak a net under and 

 lift them out. This will work with 

 chaetodons and other sunfish, but is not 

 the right method for average rapid- 

 swimming species. 



Dip netshowin? method of using brass rinss. The 

 net should be deept'i' tlian sliowii. 



Drawing by L. M. Dorsey, Jr. 



After several failures I appealed to my 

 friend, and like all good enthusiasts he 

 was very willing to show me. The 

 method of teaching was to take me out 

 on one of his own collecting trips that 

 I might see just how it was done. The 

 main point as far as dip nets are con- 

 cerned seems to be to work in narrow 

 streams, or in small corners or pools 

 where the fish cannot get away. An 

 overhand swoop is vised to bring the 

 net into the water, striking as far out as 

 possible and dragging the net toward 

 you, catching the fish from above rather 

 than below. The net should be pulled 

 toward the bottom and the whole move- 

 ment made as rapidly as possible. By 

 the overhand stroke the fish become 

 confused and not infrequently dash right 

 into the net. 



This method is rather hard on the 



