THE ADVANTAGES OF FISH CULTURE. 19 



for a short time a fungus growth begins to encircle 

 it, the feathery arms of which reach out from it, and 

 coming in contact with the living eggs, deal death 

 among them. Unless removed in time, one dead 

 egg will be the means of destroying thousands of 

 others. It must therefore be taken out before it has 

 had time to develop this fungus growth. 



Many people have doubtless had occasion to note 

 how detrimental one decaying peach in a basket is 

 to those which happen to lie in close proximity to 

 it. Well, this is precisely the same effect the de- 

 caying egg has upon others, and it must for the 

 same reason be removed. When the spawn has laid 

 in the hatching apparatus the proper time for the 

 eggs to hatch, the little fish which is plainly seen 

 moving in the egg some .time before it hatches, 

 breaks through the shell, straightens itself out, and is 

 a fish. They are then, in the case of most varieties 

 of young fry, very helpless. The large yolk-sac 

 which is attached to their bodies renders locomotion 

 difficult, and unless protected, they would fall an 

 easy prey to their enemies. The fish culturist looks 

 after them until they are relieved of this encumbrance, 

 or nearly so, and then they are in condition to strike 

 out for themselves and fight the battle of life. 

 True, many are liable to be destroyed even at this 

 period. The same rule follows with fish as in human 

 nature : The big fish eat the little ones. But they 

 have had a big lift on their journey in having been 

 protected through their most helpless and exposed 

 period. 



