AND OF STILL WATERS. 117 



as they will, if allowed, devour immense 

 quantities of fish-eggs. In a book published in 

 1 7 13, called "A Discourse of Fish and Fish- 

 ponds," by the Honourable Roger North, it is 

 advised that cattle should be allowed to come and 

 drink and stand in fish-ponds, " as it conduces 

 much to the thrift of the cattle as well as the 

 feed of the fish," the disturbance of the mud, 

 and the consequent increase of fish food, being 

 evidently the object in view. 



The time of draining is another question 

 much discussed. In the Limousin, the carp- 

 breeding ponds are drained in turn every three 

 years, in the month of October. In Germany, 

 also, ponds are drained every third year. In 

 some parts of Austria the fish-ponds are drained 

 every two years. Mr. North says, "you may 

 let your ponds stand full two or three years, 

 not longer, unless you delight to see starved, 

 lean fish. The oftener the ponds are laid dry 

 the better the feed of fish shall be." Captain 

 Milton P. Peirce, who has made fish-ponds, and 

 everything appertaining to them, the object of 

 his great study, emphatically declares that 



