158 ANIMAL LIFE UNDER WATER 



and rudd, invariably seize a worm by one end 

 or the other. 



On the plate opposite a rudd, three-quarters 

 of a pound in weight, is shown taking a worm. 

 Even a small worm, as shown in the middle 

 illustration, was invariably seized by the end. 

 Only on one occasion did I see this fish take a 

 worm by the middle, and then he spat it out and 

 took it again by the end. 



Perch, as a rule, deliberate more than most 

 fish before they feed, but once they have made 

 up their minds they rush at their food. 



There is, however, no hard-and-fast rule as 

 to the feeding methods of any particular fish, 

 and with altered conditions a fish will very 

 rapidly change its methods of feeding. This is 

 illustrated by the behaviour of a tench which 

 inhabited the pond at the same time as several 

 trout. 



The fish in the pond were frequently fed on 

 mealworms. When lightly thrown on the water, 

 mealworms float for a few seconds, and then 

 slowly sink. The trout rushed at them imme- 

 diately they touched the water, and no food ever 

 sank far below the surface. 



The tench is essentially a bottom feeder, and 



