How to obtain it. 137 
and delight, varied as it was by an occasional day’s shooting, 
or a hurried run to some part of the country, to inspect a 
lake or give instructions for the construction of a fish pond. 
One of my friends, who occasionally came over from a smoky 
Yorkshire town, was wont to describe the life as a ‘continual 
pic-nic.” Anyhow, the days went pleasantly by ; there was plenty 
to do, and doing it was simply an enjoyment, and when the sun 
shone and all went well, I could occasionally leave the place for 
a week’s cruise in my little yacht Wi/dwing, exploring the 
mysteries of the deep, and collecting marine specimens, etc. Do 
not let the tyro run away with the idea that there were no draw- 
backs, however. As life in general is said to have its “ups and 
downs,” so had this life, which, though appearing to outside 
observers all sunshine, often carried with it a great deal of rough- 
ness and hardship. These were times when my friends of the 
sunshine were absent. 
I have spent, during a severe frost, night after night amongst 
the ice, preventing the water supply being cut off. Every few 
minutes it would freeze up if not attended to, the floor meanwhile 
consisting of one frozen mass, while icicles hung from boxes, 
filters, and distributing tanks, reflecting back the light and making 
quite a pretty sight. Often when the sun got up and the frost 
slackened, and I could turn into my berth to get a little rest, I 
would take a last look over some of the hatching boxes to see 
that all was right, and at the sight of the crowd of moving little 
beings within, exclaim, “Yes! it’s worth it all”; and after my 
sleep would rise refreshed, and just as ready for another battle 
with the Ice King as ever. One great advantage I had in these 
battles—and they really were such—that I always came off 
victorious. 
All this is altered now. The water, instead of coming into the 
hatchery through a long run of wooden spouting, several feet 
above ground, is conveyed for a good way in pipes beneath the 
surface, and other precautions are taken whereby freezing is 
prevented, and prevention is much better than cure. 
Possibly some of my fish-cultural friends will laugh at the 
idea of allowing the water to freeze at all, but I know that more 
than one of them has been troubled in the same way, and have 
