200 FISH CULTUEE. 



the last of the carp. The roach themselves, too, had 

 diminished to the smallest size, being not larger than 

 bleak, say fifteen or twenty to the pound. 



Eels, again, are bad things to have ia a pond, as 

 the destruction they work among the spawn is very 

 great ; and if the reader cares for his fish, let him by 

 no means be tempted to indulge in the picturesque, 

 by placing swans or ducks or fancy waterfowl of any 

 kind on his pond : if he does, he will certainly main- 

 tain them at the expense of the fish. I do not 

 believe at all in their keeping the weeds down, for 

 the reason that I have never seen their presence 

 produce that effect; If the pond proprietor must 

 have a pair of swans to look pretty, let him get a 

 skilful taxidermist to stuff him a pair as life-like as 

 possible; he may even, to render the illusion more 

 real, put some clockwork into them, to make them 

 nod their heads every five minutes; let biTn then 

 anchor them far out in the middle of his pond, and 

 for all picturesque purposes his end will be answered. 

 Knowing the mischief they do, I detest swans, and 

 wish every swan was, like his sable brother, a "rara 

 avis in terris" or rather aguis. One had better throw 

 open his pond or river to all the poachers in the dis- 

 trict than indulge in a taste for swans. If any one 

 doubts this, let him take a row up the Thames from 



