142 LIVING FISHFOODS 



Still another way to remove them from the soil is to take a section 

 of blotting paper, placing the earth on it, and in a short time it will be 

 noticed that they will have gathered in a ring around the outer edge of the 

 soil, free from the dirt. 



It is not advisable to feed all of the worms thus obtained as, when a 

 considerable number are placed in a tank at a single time, some are bound 

 to escape from the bunch and, burying themselves in the gravel or sand, 

 die and pollute the water. They can exist under water for about forty- 

 eight hours and it has been noted that the larger specimens are usually 

 the first to succumb. 



Mealworms. These are rather hard, glossy, light brown worms 

 about an inch long. They are good food for the hard-mouthed fishes, 

 of fair size, such as the Sunfish and the Cichlids. Lizards thrive on 

 them and they are about the only obtainable food to carry insec- 

 tivorous reptiles and toads over the winter unless maintained in a 

 hibernating condition. Pet stores sell them as bird food. They feed 

 on bran or other meal in which they are kept. If undisturbed and 

 kept in a liberal supply of bran they presently turn into small beetles 

 which in turn lay eggs and hatch into a new and much larger stock of 

 mealworms. 



