56 THE NATURAL HISTORY AND HABITS 



pearance. But now they have to encounter difficulties 

 altogether foreign to them ; the provision bag, from 

 which they fed from the moment they began to exist, 

 is now empty and gone ; they must now work for their 

 food, and search it among the water. But we find 

 that numerous deaths take place at this time, very 

 possibly from the change of living, and the food in 

 the first instance not agreeing with them. 



But the survivors seem very soon to get familiar 

 with their new employment ; and collecting food 

 seems an amusement as well as necessity, for they 

 run, leap, and sport, and catch greedily at the small- 

 est object among the water. At this age they require 

 to be regularly attended and fed.* Brown bread, 



* When the conical bag is consumed, or nearly so, the hand- 

 feeding should begin. This must not be done by throwing a 

 quantity of food over the pond at once, the greater part of which 

 would fall to the bottom and be lost ; it must be widely sprinkled 

 over the whole surface of the feeding-pond, so as the fry can 

 catch it as it sinks to the bottom, and as soon as the particles are 

 eaten up, more should be scattered over the pond so as to ensure 

 their being all fed. This process must not be carelessly gone 

 over, for on the attention and regularity at this time depends all 

 the future success. And in a feeding- pond of the extent that 

 would be required at Stormontfield, where they have some chance 

 of hatching 200,000 fry, the regular feeding of which will aiford 

 the constant occupation of several persons; for during the first 

 few weeks of feeding, they should be hourly supplied with a few 

 grains each; and from a calculation to that effect, the feeders can 

 easily judge the quantity to be given at each time. As the fry 

 gets larger, the quantity of food must be augmented ; this will 

 be understood from the rapidity in which it is eaten up; and the 

 regular feeders will soon come to understand when they have 

 enough from their careless appearance; but they must in no case 

 whatever discontinue the food while they appear eager to catch 

 it: and unless the artificial breeder strictly observes all these 

 things, he cannot expect the imprisoned fry to increase in size in 

 proportion to those in the open river, neither can he expect them 

 to arrive with regularity at the smolt state. I am aware that in 



