158 FISH HATCHING. 



Mr. Ponder and Mr. Francis Francis are, I 

 know, in favour of turning the fish out into the 

 Thames at once — i.e., when they begin to feed 

 — and this because, if the fish is turned down 

 in a state of babyhood, he has to " graduate 

 through all his difficulties," and learns to shift 

 for himself ; whereas, if kept as a semi-tame 

 fish for several months, when turned down he 

 goes gaping out till Master Jack comes and 

 gobbles him up, and "is dead" (as the 

 Yankees say) "before he knew what had 

 hurt him." Anyhow, I have a curious fact 

 to mention. When Mr. Ponder was repairing 

 the boxes towards the end of last year, get- 

 ting ready for this year's ova, he found three 

 or four young fish (hatched out last season) 

 which had been residing under the boxes 

 since they were hatched. These fish are now 



