FISH BREEDING PONDS. 
43 
temerity, vanished to digest his dinner. Then a second, a 
lazy one, popped up, tried the flies, and as if saying to him- 
self, ‘ Who’s afraid 1 ’ indolently rolled himself over and over 
on the surface, showing his spotty splendour with great effect. 
Half-a-dozen more came up, and then ensued a regular fish 
corroboree — the trout rolling and tumbling about most play- 
fully, and appearing to vary their menage now with flies and 
now with well fed minnows. We left the water at dusk, well 
satisfied with the glorious success of our acclimatisation in 
Beale’s Swamp.” 
The fish in the ponds have thriven well, and are 
now five to six inches long, and must be gradually 
turned out to prevent overcrowding. 
The ponds, which are designed upon the system 
adopted at Stormonfield, with such improvements as 
have been suggested by experience in Tasmania, were 
made from plans prepared by the writer, and carried 
out under the superintendence of Mr. Blackburn, the 
Shire Engineer of Gisborne. After nearly twelve 
months trial, no fault has been found or improvement 
suggested. The expense of construction was met by a 
special vote by the Victorian Parliament. The success 
which has so far attended the experiment is, however, 
mostly due to Mr. Robertson, who not only granted 
the site, but has, at his own cost, undertaken the care 
and management of the ponds, under the control and 
superintendence of the Society. 
The ponds being situated near one of the main lines 
of railway, fish and ova may be easily and rapidly 
distributed to all parts of the colony. 
The second or lower pond at Wooling has been 
devoted to, and is at present occupied by, some 200 
salmon trout, hatched from ova presented by the Tas- 
manian Salmon Commissioners to the Society, and are 
