THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST » 201 
fleas (Daphnia), and mosquito larvae. The ideal live food are 
the Enchytrae-worms, which are bred and sold for the purpose 
in the U.S.A. It's a small, threadlike white worm, and will 
live for several days in the water. After many failures to get 
this worm through by parcels post, I sueceeded by having them 
carried by hand, kept open and moistened en route, These 
worms are easily cultivated in boxes filled with rich garden, soil, 
which is kept moist with milk, and they are fed with sour milk 
and mashed potatoes. ; 
Of artificial foods only specially prepared should he given, the 
Japanese fish biscuit is readily taken by some fish, but 1s net a 
good all-round food. A good food which is taken by all fish 
is ground shrimp. ‘The shrimp are imported into the U.5 A. 
from Mexico in a dried state, and then ground. Unfortunately 
the demand here is so small that it is not imported commercially. 
I get my supplies direct from the States. 
Finely-shredded beef is a food readily taken by all fish, and 
can be used with great advantage as a change of diet. Bread, 
biscuit, and such stuff must be avoided absolutely. 
You cannot succeed in rearing fish broods in tanks unless you 
supply them with live food, and certainly the appearing of young 
fish in your tank and the rearing of a brood is great excitement, 
and the noting of observations interesting as well as of scientific 
value. ; 
Hitherto the Daphnia have been bred in large tubs as food. I 
have found it a very slow and troublesome process, and could 
never make a great success of it. Fortunately and eccidentally, 
I have solved the great problem to produce a live food, small 
enough for the youngest fish; easily, quickly bred, and in great 
quantities. | My scheme has been published in an American 
Aquarium periodical,.and on account of its simplicity and suc- 
cess has been adopted to a great extent. I am also told that it 
has proved a great boon to fish breeders, and I have made use of 
our doubtful friend the Mosquito.- As I have said- before fail- 
ures are mostly due to overfeeding. All foods but live foods 
which are not eaten by the fish must be removed, as they decay « 
quickly, besides developing the Saprolegnia Fungus. 
Aquatic snails are of great benefit to an Aquarium; they help’ 
to clear the confervoid growth from the glass, but certainly not 
to the extent they are credited with. Where we gain by placing 
them in our tanks is that they consume much of the food which 
is not eaten by the fish. : 
