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If you place a quart of ale before two 
men, and each man drinks half, the re- 
sult, as far as the individual is concerned, 
is much the same as though each man 
were supplied with a separate pint. From 
this we might not unnaturally argue that, 
as concerns the well-being of the indi- 
vidual, an equal result would be obtained 
by keeping two fishes in a quart of water 
as by keeping one fish ina pint. Though 
theoretically the argument would appear 
to be sound, in practice it is proved to be 
otherwise. 
For their normal development all liv- 
ing beings require a certain minimum 
amount of space and, as we are now deal- 
ing with aquatic animals, we may say 
that all need their optimum of water. 
By keeping the tadpole of a frog in a 
| (The Optimum of Water 
EDGAR R. WAITE, F. L. S. 
Director, South Australian Museum 
The “Liberty Bond Fish,” Franklin Barrett’s Famous Red, White and Blue Carp 
From the original water color by the owner 
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limited quantity of water I have been 
able to so retard its development that it 
has remained as a larva for over a year, 
and similar result is within the experi- 
ence of others also. 
Though food may be plentifully sup- 
plied, a fish kept in less than a certain 
volume of water will never reach its nor- 
mal development, while successive gen- 
erations, reared under similar conditions, 
will be permanently dwarfed. “Minia- 
ture goldfish” are produced in this man- 
ner. 
If one gallon of water be the minimum 
volume required for a certain fish, it does 
not follow that two such fishes would 
require two gallons of water; such quan- 
tity might satisfactorily support three or 
four fishes; the reason is obscure, but the 
fact remains. 
