ON SMALLER PONDS. 163 



think my own experience verifies his, as I have eaten 

 Dr. Tench, as he is sometimes called, even from our 

 ponds with a reasonable amount of satisfaction. 



After the formation of a pond, it is often found 

 that the fish do not thrive nor increase. There 

 may be various reasons for this : one is that, pos- 

 sibly, the soil of the pond does not suit the fish 

 nor encourage food for them ; a soft, warm, marly 

 bottom being the best. Gravel (often impregnated 

 with iron) does not do well, nor does a hard clay, 

 which is too cold and unproductive. Again, steep 

 banks with deep water all around the sides are 

 objectionable, as the fish like to push on to the 

 shallows, and lie with their backs almost above 

 water, both for spawning and for warmth ; and be- 

 sides this, the small fry, when just hatched and 

 capable of moving about, cannot exist in the deep 

 water, but require shallows as an absolute necessity. 

 This will be recognised either in rivers or ponds, if 

 the reader will remember, when he has been walking 

 along the banks at certain seasons, how often he has 

 seen the small fry start off from the margin, where 

 they have been sunning and disporting themselves 

 in myriads, and how seldom, on the other hand, he 

 has ever noticed them in deep water. Ponds that 

 have rookeries besides them have been found not 

 M2 



