70 Uoii< to obtain it. 



frame, forming an aperture through which I could almost have 

 crept. When I pointed this out to Mr. Blank and told him that 

 most of his fish had bolted, he threw up his hands in astonishment 

 that such a thing could be. What else could have been expected 

 from a neglected screen, a rat hole and the action of the water in 

 flowing through it, but the result I have described ? 



Similar occurrences I have found to be very common water 

 escaping from a pond otherwise than through the outlet screens. 

 Sometimes in a paved raceway it takes the form of bubbling up 

 here and there among the stones, or of coming out at a hole in 

 the side of the raceway some distance from the pond. These 

 things ought not to be, and wherever they do exist they should be 

 remedied in the near future. What would be thought of a farmer 

 who put his sheep into a field, but did not shut the gate ? So long 

 as it served the purpose of the sheep to stay in the field they 

 would do so, but no longer. It is the same with fish. There is 

 1 a widespread belief that when they are put into a pond they will 

 } stay there, but my experience is that in a great many cases they 

 * do not do so. A considerable number of them may remain, per- 

 haps enough to keep the pond always stocked, but if the best fish 

 be disappearing every time there is an inducement to them to go, 

 how much better it would be to prevent all possibility of such an 

 occurrence by having a screen at the outlet. With such a pro- 

 vision and a good spawning ground, a well-stocked pond or lake 

 ought to give very good results. 



Many ponds have been made during the past few years, more 

 or less in accordance with the instructions which I have given, and 

 where the work has been properly carried out the result has been 

 most gratifying. I will refer only to three of these ponds which 

 were made by R. A. Yerburgh, Esq., M.P., at Barwhillanty, in the 

 County of Kirkcudbright. The first pond was finished in the 

 year 1888, and was stocked with trout fry on May i4th of that 

 year, according to my instructions. The fish grew splendidly, and 

 two months later were seen rising to the fly in all directions. So 

 decided was the success of the undertaking that a second pond was 

 at once commenced, and a good staff of workmen being employed 

 it was speedily completed, and was stocked the following year, 

 January, 1889, with large fish. A sufficient supply x)f natural food 



