i68 SALMON AND TROUT. 



matter, and it can be attracted by sinking a piece of half-putrid 

 flesh in the water. When it is not engaged in active exertion, it 

 retires to some Httle crevice at the side of the stream, whence, 

 however, it keeps a careful watch so as to be able to dart out as 

 soon as it sees anything eatable. When removed from the water 

 the little creature is quite helpless, lying on its side, and merely 

 spinning round and round in its struggles — a habit which has 

 gained for it the title of fresh-water shrimp. 



But to my feeding experiments. At Encombe, in Dorset- 

 shire, the seat of the Earl of Eldon, there is an artificial pond 

 of two or three acres in extent facing the house. The pond is 

 paved with marble at the bottom and sides, and is supplied 

 with water from a small fountain fed from a spring in the 

 neighbouring valley, carried by an artificial tunnel under some 

 high hills. The pond is, for all practical purposes, stagnant ; 

 the fountain's supply not being more than equivalent to the 

 summer evaporation. From 1862 to 1864 this pond was 

 drained off and left absolutely dry, in order to kill the weeds 

 and clean the bottom. In 1864 the water was turned in again, 

 and in August of that year a number of artificially reared trout 

 of the same season's hatching, about three-quarters of an inch 

 long, were put into the pond. In August 1866, the pond was 

 again dried for cleansing purposes, when it was found that the 

 trout had grown in the space of two years to an amazing 

 extent — four or five pounds being the smallest size, and a 

 weight of six pounds ten ounces having been attained in several 

 cases. 



When visiting at Encombe in September of the following 

 year, I examined the pond at Lord Eldon's request with a view 

 to ascertaining to what cause, in the absence of any artificial 

 feeding, the extraordinary growth rate was to be attributed. 

 With the aid of a bucket and a rope, the explanation was not 

 hard to find : the whole pond was simply stvarming with water 

 shrimps^ and on questioning the keeper he assured me that 

 when the water in the pond was let off there were literally cart- 

 loads of these insects. My informant as to the facts and dates 



