

98 NATIVE FISHES 



These small seines as purchased are poorly equipped with floats 

 and sinkers, the former being too heavy and the latter too light. A 

 great improvement can be made by adding large cork floats, binding 

 split pieces together across the top line. The sinkers should be 

 twice as heavy and twice as numerous as supplied. Pieces of half- 

 inch split lead pipe can readily be used to correct this defect. 



If fish are at all plentiful the hauls are large. Care should be 

 exercised to immediately return all specimens not wanted, and it 

 will be the part of wisdom to want few. By crowding in cans on the 

 home trip many fishes die and the rest arrive in such poor condition 

 that their lives in captivity are short. The hands should be wet 

 before touching live fish. This is well known among fish culturists. 



The ordinary 18-inch folding hand-net is used in small streams 

 where one can make a dash into the deeper depressions by the banks. 

 This is done by an overhead, downward swoop, executed with the 

 greatest possible speed. The net is continued in rapid motion, pull- 

 ing it over the bottom towards the feet of the operator. This is the 

 only way to achieve any degree of success. The up-scoop is the 



Fig. 93. Proper Way to Connect Hand Net to Metal Frame 



natural way to go about it, but this ends in absolute failure. With 

 this net, too, we need some alterations. Take oflf the net from the 

 folding frame. Slip about 100 of ^-inch upholsterers' brass rings on 

 the frame. Now interweave, parallel to the frame, a strong string be- 

 tween the brass rings and the top loops of the net, thus attaching 

 the net permanently. The object of this arrangement is to prevent 

 the cutting of the net when the frame drags over stones and other 

 obstacles. Also the net itself can be improved for our purposes. It 

 should be of a quarter-inch mesh and about 24 inches deep. Dyeing 

 it a dark color is a still further improvement. 



