REARING PONDS AND STREAMS. 65 



very reasonable cost on a Saturday night, and sunk in 

 a sort of cage of perforated zinc in the head of a cold 

 spring ; there, though not so tempting to the eye of 

 the pisciculturist, they will keep for days, yet more 

 especially if dipped for a few minutes in really boiling 

 water. This " sets " the outside albumen, and, as it 

 were, seals the meat, keeping in all its juices and 

 nourishing power. 



Or meat may be dipped in sulphurous acid or a 

 solution of salicylic acid, and hung up in a game 

 larder with a good current of air through it, flies being 

 kept out by panels of perforated zinc. All these little 

 matters may seem too trivial and unimportant to 

 require mention here, but when many mouths have to 

 be fed the great secret is to find out and carry into 

 practice those methods or " dodges " which lead to 

 the best results with the minimum of trouble and 

 expense. 



Everything must be done methodically and with the 

 regularity of clockwork for fishes, like fowls, know 

 the feeding time just as well as those who feed them ; 

 and when they become accustomed to one person as 

 feeder, will follow him like a pack of hounds at their 

 meal-time. They will become so used to him that 

 after a time they will take food readily from his hand, 

 and if immersed without the usual contents that 

 hand may receive cordial recognition in the shape of ' 

 sundry sharp nips from the mandibles of the dis- 

 appointed fishes, 



It is strange, too, to see how fearful fishes are of 

 strangers. If friends come to see the food given, 

 except there are frequent visitors, so that the denizens 

 of the water are accustomed to such scenes, they fight 



