166 MAKING A FISHERY. 



artificial food, as there is a plentiful supply 

 of shrimps, snails, and ' other natural food in 

 • his streams. The result of this treatment is, 

 that not being accustomed to look for their two 

 meals a day from the hands of an attendant they 

 do not as a rule feed well when first put into a 

 stew. Besides, not being accustomed to the 

 frequent visits of mankind, such fish are always 

 more or less wild and shy, and inclined to hide 

 in dark corners. Hence it was not surprising 

 that at first they did not feed freely on the 

 minced liver and lights given to them. 

 Treatment of The head keeper noticed, however, that a 

 ^ungus number were marked with whitish-grey patches 



which looked like fungus, and from the 16th 

 to the 2 1 st March forty-six were found dead. 

 These were in other respects apparently healthy 

 fish, but all had more or less fungoid growth on 

 them. The growth was of the nature of the 

 salmon disease {Safrolegnia ferax), but, whether 

 it was this particular genus and species of 

 fungus or one closely allied to it, is not impor- 

 tant, and has not yet been determined. As a 

 first experiment, the hatch regulating the water 

 supply to the stew was raised, so as to give a 

 heavier flow, and the result was regularly watched 

 for eight days. Finding that no less than sixty 

 more had succumbed, and acting under the 

 best advice procurable, the fish were taken out 



