REARING 149 



leaves and dirt, and to screen the water from the sun's 

 rays. 



Having secured a plentiful and unfailing supply of 

 clean, cool water, beyond the reach of floods, your 

 first difficulty is overcome. The next thing is to pro- 

 vide yourself with the necessary apparatus for hatching 

 the eggs, and rearing the young fish. 



Do not attempt to conduct your hatching opera- 

 tions in boxes placed out in the open air. From cold 

 there is little to fear for eggs or the fry, but uneven- 

 ness of temperature is very undesirable, and all 

 risk of accidental disturbance has to be securely 

 guarded against. Moreover the operator himself will 

 require shelter during the hatching season, which 

 occupies the winter months. A house or shed 

 therefore of some kind should be brought into re- 

 quisition. 



Almost any kind of weather-proof structure can be 

 made to answer your purpose, but a conservatory or 

 greenhouse is not generally a suitable place for hatch- 

 ing and rearing operations, which require an even 

 temperature. A hatching-room need not be an 

 elaborate or expensive erection ; it should be easy of 

 access from your house, and not far from the source 

 from which your supply is taken. 



The glare of the sun's rays is very injurious to the 



