158 NEW SOUTH WALES 
Roach (Leuciscus rutilus) is a pretty fish and feeds fast, being very 
much like carp in its habits and temper, but it is more use for ornament 
than for the table, and therefore is never spoken of as a fish for 
acclimatization. The above fish are common, hardy, inexpensive, and 
easily obtained. A. full list on the subject would be a bulky affair. 
For the rest the works of Francis on Fish Culture may be consulted. 
It should be mentioned that there are two especial enemies of the ova 
of fish which must not be overlooked. One is the stickleback (Gasteros- 
teus aculeatus and spinulosus) and the water-beetle, Hydaticus, of which 
we have five or six species in our ponds. The stickleback is not known 
to be acclimatized, but might easily be accidentally introduced. No 
fish cultivation can proceed in the presence of two such enemies. 
Fish may require feeding, and if so, may be assisted by throwing earth, 
worms, steeped grain or ground malt, and offals of poultry. Larve of 
the common blow-fly can easily be bred and thrown to them, as also house 
flies. With a long-pointed net large quantities of these can easily be 
collected, scalded, and thrown to the fish. 
Besides fresh-water, salt-water ponds may also be constructed. They 
must of course be in places where sea-water can enter at half-tide. The 
sea-water is to be introduced by means of a sluice at this depth with a 
proper grating. By this means a regulated amount of water can be 
maintained at low-tide, and 8 or 10 feet at flood, and the water will be 
always changing. A great many of these ponds have been constructed 
in Europe. The fish kept in them were those of the neighbouring seas, 
such as turbot, sole, brill, plaice, flounder, rays, skate, herring, salmon, 
salmon-trout. The depth was usually not much over 12 feet or less 
than 3 at low water. ‘Various other fishes have been tried, but the 
above enumerated have succeeded the best. Turtles have been kept in 
such ponds. The food generally consisted of butchers’ offal mingled with 
blood, besides periwinkles, shrimps, and prawns. The fish in general 
do not improve by being kept in the ponds, they often become blind for 
want of shelter. Cod-fish and flat-fish thrive well for a time, as well as 
the rays and.skate. Haddock also does well. There is no reason why 
the experiment should not be tried with our flat-fish. Those which we 
catch are all small, and might be reared to a considerable size. 
The ancients were much more advanced in fish culture than ourselves. 
Artificial pieces of water for fish-ponds are of great antiquity. From 
the Egyptian paintings we see that those people used them, and they 
were in common use amongst the Greeks and Romans, coming down 
even to medieval times in connestion with monastic institutions. M. T. 
Varro, in his book “ De Re Rustica,” and Columella, in a work with the 
same title, both enter fully into the methods of constructing and pre- 
serving fish-ponds and salt-water vivaria. Columella’s book is exceed- 
ingly interesting and enters into the fullest particulars, but as it may 
not be within reach of most readers they can consult the third chapter 
of the Rev. Dr. Badham’s Prose Halieutics, or Ancient and Modern 
Fish Tattle (London, J. W. Parker, 1854). In this they will find. 
ample details, even to the feeding of the stock and the dietary scale. 
The most extraordinary announcement in Columella is that the Romans 
turned lakes and rivers into natural vivaria; they placed fish and fish- 
