


FRESH-WATER AQUARIUM. 487 
the time for the lover of the aquarium to enjoy himself, for 
as the water is left in small, shallow holes, here and there, 
we shall find in these places multitudes of specimens only 
waiting to be preserved, — small perch in great numbers and 
many rare larvze among the plants. At such a time too, we 
can make a choice of mussels, selecting for their beauty 
those whose shells are rayed with the darker shades of 
green. Very young bream are easy to catch in the net. Not 
. 80 with those an inch or more long, and now is the chance 
offered to get as many as we wish. Perch and bream both 
need a good deal of care to make them live the year round 
in the tank, but they will repay a little trouble, as they be- 
come so tame if properly cared for. Speaking of the tame- 
ness of fishes it seems to be more a question of food than 
anything else; if fishes are fed at certain times, and are 
compelled to come to the top for the food they soon get 
into the way of coming up whenever one is near by, and will 
even jump out of the water at the bare finger. "There is a 
little fish, found mostly in slowly running streams, called 
the roach; it is a very interesting fish for the aquarium on 
account of its peculiar shape and habits; it has two large 
side fins just behind the head, which it always keeps fully 
extended, looking as if it had an old-fashioned collar on. 
t remains motionless for the most of the time on the bot- 
tom of the stream, occasionally starting off, perhaps in 
search of food, only to sink down again to its former quiet 
Position ; it is easy to keep this fish in good condition in the 
aquarium. Young pickerel are desirable fish to have in 
the tanks if one can afford to keep. only that kind of fish; 
placed with larger fish they do very well and constantly rec- 
 9mmend themselves for their elegant movements, but with 
Small fish, such as minnows, they live in constant war. In 
One of my tanks twenty-four minnows were killed within 
a week by a pickerel about an inch and a half long, and this 
While giving the pickerel a regular course of feeding on 
ef. Minnows have always held a high rank among the 
