94 FISH CULTUKE. 



disappears the fisli grow more and more active, 

 darting and skipping about the troughs. Soon no 

 trace of it is to be seen; and now they begin 

 roving to and fro searching for food, and they 

 require to be fed. It will be found also that they 

 require still more room ; and unless the piscicul- 

 turist has at his command a small stream of some 

 kind, he wiU find it advisable to turn his fish out 

 into the river they are destined for, as he will lose 

 fewer of them in that way than by trying to rear 

 them in a scarce water-supply. If, however, he 

 has such a stream, and still wishes to keep them 

 under his notice for some time, he should have 

 either a small shallow pond constructed, or a large 

 and long box or two of considerable extra capacity. 

 These boxes should be gravelled, but should rise 

 to fuU six inches out of the water, as the small fish 

 are very active and apt to jump out. The tops 

 should be covered with fine sparrow-netting, to keep 

 mischievous birds, as kingfishers, &c. out, but so 

 as to admit plenty of light and air, and to allow 

 small flies to find their way to the water, which at 

 this period form the most natural, and by no means 

 scanty, supply of food. About two, inches depth of 

 water will be sufficient, and a fair but gentle stream 

 should be turned on. In places the gravel should 



