68 



aquatic JLitt 



"home made" from materials easily 

 secured. It is apparent that its size can 

 be varied to meet individual preference, 

 i^or the one illustrated we need two 

 pieces of poplar, or other good wood, 

 y 2 thick by 5 l / 2 wide, and 6 l /$ inches 

 long; four pieces of ordinary window 

 glass, 4 by 7 inches; four brass rods, 

 diameter 3-16 inches, length 8>4 inches, 

 threaded three-fourths of an inch on 

 each end, and furnished with washers 



and n-Ms. 



The first step is to lay out the wood 

 ends. With a saw cut off the two low- 

 er corners of the block. To determine 

 the position of the cut, measure two 

 inches from the corner both ways, and 

 draw a line connecting the two points. 

 Next, with a rule, define the positions to 

 be occupied by the grooves for the glass. 

 These as illustrated are half an inch from 

 the edges. Proceeding carefully, cut the 

 grooves with your saw to a depth of 

 about an eighth inch; then finish with a 

 chisel or knife. Note that it is essen- 

 tial that both ends be alike. Clamp or 

 hold the two ends one upon the other, 

 and bore the holes for the bolts. Use a 

 drill a trifle larger than the rod. The 

 upper pair of holes are one-fourth inch 

 in from the top and side, the lower ones 

 one inch from the bottom. Give the ends 

 a coat of wood filler and follow with 

 three coats of best waterproof varnish. 

 Allow twenty-four hours for each coat 

 to harden. 



The next and final step is to assemble 

 the contraption. Try the pieces of glass, 

 one after the other, in the grooves. They 

 should fit nicely. Under no circum- 

 stances should they be forced ; enlarge 

 the groove if necessary. Put washers 

 and nuts on one end of the rods and in- 

 sert through the block ; lay it on a table, 

 rods projecting upward. Assistance will 

 now be needed to hold the glasses in place 



while other wood end is being inserted. 

 Draw up the nuts using the fingers only 

 and the compartment is ready for trial. 

 If the nuts are drawn up too tight, as 

 with a wrench, the glass is very apt to 

 crack. 



When in use the compartment should 

 project about half an inch above the 

 surface of the water in the aquarium, 

 and several means may be used to this 

 end. Two hooks may be used, some- 

 what S-shaped, and the cage suspended 

 from the edge of the tank, the hooks run- 

 ning under the upper brass rod. Or it 

 may be hung from two rods placed 

 across the top of the tank and running 

 through two screw-eyes inserted in the 

 wooden ends. If it seems preferable to 

 float the compartment, buoyancy can be 

 added by fastening strips of wood across 

 each end, or by tying corks to the lower 

 rods, the length of the strings or wire 

 attached to the corks, as well as their 

 size, determining the height in the 

 water. 



The use of the cage or Compartment 

 necessitates an aquarium from which 

 all fishes have been removed, otherwise 

 its very object would be defeated. If 

 one has a large tank available, and a 

 number of females approaching delivery, 

 all could be placed in separate compart- 

 ments in the same aquarium. A few days' 

 difference in the dates of the arrivals 

 from the several females would not be a 

 matter of moment, and the fry could be 

 reared together. Various species could 

 be associated. For average small species 

 the two pieces of glass forming the V- 

 shaped bottom of the compartment 

 should be adjusted to leave a slot about 

 an eighth-inch wide. If it seems desir- 

 able the width of the slot can be in- 

 creased by changing the position of the 



glass. 



♦ 



It's the hard jobs that make us. 



