74 TROUT CULTURE. . 



When older still, more especially at spawning time, 

 the ungainly heron stalks around and spears all he can 

 on the shallows, very often destroying fishes too large 

 to be swallowed ; so it is a fact that the fish has 

 enemies constantly on its trail from birth to death. 



Shrimps, dabchicks, and other enemies of the fish- 

 egg, are checkmated by the artificial process of breed- 

 ing. Rats and voles can be trapped in gins carefully 

 laid under the surface of the water at the mouths of 

 their holes, or shot by the keepers ; and for such a 

 purpose the little walking-stick guns, sold by many 

 gunmakers, are very serviceable weapons, as they shoot 

 very hard with a very small charge, and make so little 

 noise as not to disturb the game in a covert. 



Kingfishers, though it seems a sin to kill so lovely 

 a bird, must be kept down, or they will clear a stream 

 more quickly and effectively than would appear 

 credible. We were pestered with them, found our 

 stock going fast and could not make out the reason. 

 Taking the advice of a friend, we ordered some traps, 

 from Mr. Henry Lane, of Eagle Works, Wednesfield, 

 set them on slight poles painted white, in the middle 

 of our little breading stream, and in a short time 

 scored our thirty-sixth kingfisher ! 



The same maker supplies the extra-sized round 

 hawk traps, which are securely pegged down in the 

 shallows at spawning time. Into these the heron steps, 

 and an end is thus put to his marauding. 



Pike, too, must be well looked for, shot, netted, snared 

 or otherwise destroyed, and that before they spawn, 

 at which time they approach shallow, weedy places, 

 and an expert wirerwill have little difficulty in noosing 

 them round the body with his wire and light pole. 



