The American Boy's Handy Book

by Daniel Carter Beard

  Continue as before until the row is finished, only deviating from the original plan when a single string is reached. Proceed in a like manner with the next and the next rows, increasing the number of strings eliminated until the remaining ones meet at the bottom, being careful not to let one drop mesh come directly under another of the same kind.

  A scoop-net can be made of a piece of mosquito netting by sewing it in the form of a bag, and fastening it to a pole and hoop made of a forked stick like the one just described.

  Minnows must be kept alive, and tin buckets, with the top half perforated with holes, are made for that purpose. These buckets, when in use, are secured by a string and hung in the water, the holes in the sides allowing a constant supply of fresh breathing material to the little fish within.

  A Home-Made Minnow Bucket.

  Take any tin bucket that has a lid to it and punch holes in the top and upper part with a nail and hammer, or some similar instruments. If a tin bucket cannot be had, a large-sized tin can will answer the purpose The illustration (Fig. 46) shows a minnow bucket made in this manner. Fig. 47 shows the proper manner of baiting with a live minnow. The cartilaginous mouth of a fish has little or no feeling in it. A hook passed from beneath the under jaw through it and the upper lip will neither kill nor injure the minnow. As it allows the little creature to swim freely, there is a much greater chance of getting a bite than with a dead or mangled bait. The latter is a sign of either cruelty or ignorance on the part of the fisherman.

  Inhabitants of the Water.

  How natural it is to speak of a love for the sea, or an intimate acquaintance and knowledge of the ocean, when, in reality, it is only the top or surface of the water that is meant, while the hidden mysteries that underlie the billows, the sea-world proper-its scenery, inhabitants, and history-are but partially known, except to our most learned naturalists. The occasional glimpses we have of queer and odd specimens kidnapped from this unknown realm make it natural for us to feel a curiosity to know and a desire to see the life and forms that are concealed beneath the waves.

  What boy can sit all day in a boat, or upon the green shady bank of an inland stream, watching the floating cork of his fish line without experiencing a longing for some new patent transparent diving bell, in which, comfortably ensconced at the bottom of the water, he might see all that goes on in that unfamiliar country.

  In the next chapter I propose to show how this natural curiosity or desire for knowledge may be gratified, not exactly by placing you at the bottom of the water, but by transporting a portion of this curious world, with its liquid atmosphere and living inhabitants into your own house, where you may inspect and study it at your leisure.

  CHAPTER V.

  HOW TO STOCK, MAKE, AND KEEP A FRESH-WATER AQUARIUM.

  ALTHOUGH marine animals may surpass the inhabitants of fresh water in strangeness of form and tint, there are some fresh-water fish upon whom Mother Nature appears to have lavished her colors; and there are enough aquatic objects to be found, in any stream or pond, to keep all my readers busy and happy for years in studying their habits and natural history. One must have a certain amount of knowledge of the habits of an animal before he can expect to keep it in a thriving condition in captivity. This knowledge is gained by observation, and success depends upon the common sense displayed in discreetly using the information thus obtained.

  Do not make the common mistake of supposing that an aquarium is only a globe or ornamental tank, made to hold a few lazy gold-fish. Do not have china swans floating about upon the top of the water, nor ruined castles submerged beneath the surface. Such things are in bad taste. Generally speaking, ruined castles are not found at the bottoms of lakes and rivers, and china swans do not swim on streams and ponds. If you determine to have an aquarium, have one whose contents will afford a constant source of amusement and instruction-one that will attract the attention and interest of visitors as soon as they enter the room where it is. Sea-shells, corals, etc., should not be used in a fresh-water aquarium; they not only look out of place, but the lime and salts they contain will injure both fish and plant. Try to make your aquarium a miniature lake in all its details, and you will find the effect more pleasing to the eye. By making the artificial home of the aquatic creatures conform as nearly as possible to their natural ones you can keep them all in a healthy and lively condition.

  At the bird-stores and other places where objects in natural history are sold, you may buy an aquarium of almost any size you wish, from the square tank with heavy iron castings to the small glass globe; the globes come in ten sizes.

  Some time ago, when the author, then quite a small boy, was spending the summer upon the shores of Lake Erie, the older members of the household frequently went out on the lake after black bass, taking with them for bait a pail of the beautiful "painted minnows" found in the little brooks of Northern Ohio. Upon the return of a fishing party the minnows left in the pail were claimed by the children as their share of the spoils, but the little fish would scarcely live a day; in spite of all that could be done they would, one by one, turn upon their backs and expire. This was the source of much disappointment and remorseful feelings on the part of the children. One day half the minnows from the pail were poured into a large flat dish, that they might be better seen as they swam about; here they were forgotten for the time; on the morrow all the fish in the pail were found to be dead, but those in the flat dish were perfectly lively and well. This discovery led to a series of experiments which the author has continued at times up to the present date, and he feels no hesitancy in saying that, if the manufacturers of aquariums in this country had made it their object to build vessels in which no respectable fish could live, they could hardly have succeeded better, for they all violate this first rule: the greater the surface of water exposed to the air, the greater the quantity of oxygen absorbed from the atmosphere. Amateurs must bear in mind that "the value of water depends not so much on its bulk as on the advantageous distribution of its bulk over large spaces." In other words, flat, shallow vessels are the best.

  In the light of this fact the author set to work to build his first aquarium. The materials for its construction were bought of the town glazier's son. The amount paid was several marbles, a broken-bladed Barlow knife, and a picture of the school teacher sketched in lead pencil upon the fly-leaf of a spelling-book. In exchange for these treasures, several fragments of window-glass, some paint, an old brush, and a lump of putty, was received. Two or three days' work resulted in the production of an aquarium. It was only twelve inches long, eight inches wide, and four inches high; but, although this tank was small, it was a real aquarium, and would hold water and living pets. A piece of glass 12 x 8 inches formed the bottom. The sides were fastened on by simply pasting paper along the outside edges; if left in this condition of course the water would leak through the cracks, soften the paper, and produce disastrous results.

  To prevent this the cracks upon the inside were carefully puttied up and the putty covered with thin strips of glass, which the glazier good-naturedly cut for the purpose; this not only prevented the tank from leaking, but added greatly to its strength. The paper corners and all the outside, excepting the front was then covered with two or three coats of paint. The front glass was left clean for observation. A piece of pine board formed the base of the little aquarium. After it was carefully puttied around the bottom, where the glass set in the board, the latter was nicely painted to correspond with the rest of the structure, the whole was left to dry. Crude as this tank may appear from the description, it did not look so, and best of all it never leaked.

  With a dip-net, made of an old piece of mosquito-netting, what fun it was to explore the spaces between the logs of the rafts in front of the old saw-mill! and what curious creatures were found lurking there! Little gars, whose tiny forms looked like bits of sticks; young spoon-bill fish (paddle-fish), with exaggerated upper lips one-third the length of their scaleless bodies; funny little black cat-fish, that looked for
all the world like tadpoles, and scores of other creatures. Under the green vegetation in those spaces they found a safe retreat from the attacks of larger fish.

  If a constant supply of fresh water can be kept flowing in an aquarium, or the water constantly aërified by agitation, the ordinary misshapen tank may be run successfully. The glass globe, the most unnatural of all forms for aquariums, can be utilized in this way. There used to be in the window of a jewelry store, in an Ohio town, an ordinary glass fish-globe, in which lived and thrived a saucy little brook trout. Brook-trout, as most of my readers know, are found only in cool running water, and will not live for any great length of time in an ordinary aquarium. In this case, an artificial circulation of water was produced by means of a little pump run by clock-work. Every morning the jeweller wound up the machine, and all day long the little pump worked, pumping up the water from the globe, only to send it back again in a small but constant stream which poured from the little spout, each drop carrying with it into the water of the globe a small quantity of fresh air, including, of course, oxygen gas. (See Fig. 48.) And the little speckled trout lived and thrived, and, for aught I know to the contrary, is still swimming around in his crystal prison, waiting, with ever-ready mouth, to swallow up the blue-bottle flies thrown to him by his friend the jeweller. It is a great mistake to suppose that it is necessary to change the water in an aquarium every few days. The tank should be so arranged as to seldom if ever require a change of water. This is not difficult to accomplish.

  If possible, have your aquarium made under your own eyes. Suppose you wish one, two feet long; then it should be sixteen inches wide and seven inches high; or 24 x 7 x 16. Figure 49 shows an aquarium of the proper form and proportions. Figure 50 shows the popular, but unnatural and improper form. With a properly made aquarium, after it is once stocked with the right proportion of plant and animal life, there is no necessity of ever changing the water.

  Both animals and plants breathe, and what is life to the plant is poison to the animal. Animals absorb oxygen and throw off carbonic acid gas; this gas the plants inhale, separating it into carbon and oxygen, absorbing the carbon, which is converted into their vegetable tissue, and throwing off the free oxygen for the animals to breathe. By having plants as well as animals in your tank, both classes are supplied with breathing material. When you start your aquarium, first cover the bottom with sand and gravel. Then build your rocker y; it is better to cement it together and into place.

  After this is all arranged, go to the nearest pond or brook, and dredge up some water plants. Any, that are not too large, will do- starwort, milfoil, bladder-wort, pondweed, etc. Fasten the roots of your plants to small stones with a bit of string, and arrange them about the tank to suit your taste. Fill the tank with water, and let it stand in the window for a week or two, where it will receive plenty of light and but little sun. By that time all your plants will be growing, and numerous other little plants will have started into life of their own accord. Then you may add your animals, and, if you do not overstock the tank, you need never change the water. Be sure not to handle the fish; if, for any cause, you wish to remove them, lift them gently with a dip-net.

  Should you wish to keep a little turtle, a crawfish, or any such animal, you must have your rockery so arranged that part of it will protrude above the water; or, better still, have a vivarium or land-and-water aquarium, such as is shown in Figures 51 and 52. With a tank made upon this plan you can have aquatic plants as well as land plants and flowers, a sandy beach for the turtle to sleep upon, as he loves to do, and a rockery for the crawfish to hide in and keep out of mischief. Some species of snails like to crawl occasionally above the water-line. Such an aquarium makes an interesting object for the conservatory.

  Figure No. 53 shows how a fountain can be made. The opening of the fountain should be so small as to allow only a fine jet of water to issue from it; the reservoir or supply-tank should be out of sight, and quite large, so that, by filling it at night, the fountain will keep playing all day. The waste-pipe should open at the level you intend to keep the water, and the opening should be covered with a piece of mosquito-netting or wire-gauze to prevent any creature from being drawn in.

  In an aquarium with a slanting bottom, only the font need be of glass; the other three sides can be made of slate, which is also a good material for the false bottom. In ponds, rivers, and lakes, the only light received comes from above; so we can understand that a vessel admitting light upon all sides, as well as from the top, forms an unnaturally luminous abode for fish. The glass front is suf ficient for the spectator to see through.

  The author has a tank twenty-five inches long, eleven inches wide, and twelve inches high-far too narrow and deep; but these defects have been, in a measure, overcome by filling it only two-thirds full of water, and allowing the green vegetation to grow undisturbed upon three sides of the aquarium; the remaining side is kept clean by rubbing off all vegetable matter once a week with a long-handled bottle-washer. A rag or a piece of sponge, tied upon the end of a stick, will answer the same purpose. This tank has been in a nourishing condition for three years, and the water has been changed only once, and then all the water was removed so that some alteration could be made in the rockery.

  But one of the inmates has died since last summer, and that was a bachelor stickleback, who probably received a nip from the pincers of one of the craw-fish. Two of these creatures have their den in the rockery that occupies the centre of the tank. A German carp, from the Washington breeding-ponds, browses all day long upon the mossy surface of the rocks, or roots around the bottom, taking great mouthfuls of sand and then puffing it out again like smoke. A striped dace spends most of his time lying flat upon his stomach on the bottom, or roosting like some subaqueous bird upon branches of the aquatic plants or on a submerged rock. A big and a little "killie" dart around after the boat-bugs, which they seldom catch; and if they do, they drop them again in great trepidation. A diminutive pond-bass asserts his authority over the larger fish in a most tyrannous manner. An eel lives under the sand in the bottom, and deigns to make his appearance only once in several months, much to the amazement of the other inhabitants, all of whom seem to forget his presence until the smell of a bit of meat brings his long body from his retreat. Numerous little mussels creep along the bottom; periwinkles and snails crawl up and down the sides; caddice-worms cling to the plants, and everything appears perfectly at home and contented.

  And why? Because their home is arranged as nearly as possible like their natural haunts, where they were captured. Learn the habits of any creature, and give it a chance to follow them, and you will find little difficulty in keeping it healthy in captivity.

  Stocking.

  Feed your fish on insects once or twice a week. Do not try to force them to eat; if they are hungry, they need little persuasion. Boat-bugs, whirligig-beetles, and, in fact, almost all the aquatic bugs and beetles, will eat lean, raw meat, if given to them in small bits.

  Water-bugs and insects will become almost as tame as the fish, and even dispute with the latter over a dainty piece of food. One of the most amusing sights is a tiny thread-like eel and a pugnacious whirligig-beetle fighting for the possession of a fly. The eel generally comes off victorious: if he succeeds in once getting a good hold of the fly, he will make a corkscrew or spiral of his body, then commence revolving so rapidly as to often throw the whirligig out of the water.

  Remember that aquatic animals, like all other creatures, are very variable in their appetites; some are gluttons, some eat sparingly, some prefer animal food, while others live entirely upon vegetable matter. Carp, dace, and such fish will eat bread; bass, pickerel, and gars will not.

  Never allow any food to remain in the bottom of the aquarium to spoil, for it will contaminate the water. The vegetarians in your tank will feed upon the plants growing therein, and they will all eat bread. Most fish will like the prepared food which you can obtain at any aquarium store.

  In selecting fish for yo
ur aquarium, be careful to have the perch, sun-fish, and bass much smaller than the dace, carp, or gold-fish; otherwise the last-named fish will soon find a resting place inside the former.

  Never put a large frog in an aquarium, for he will devour every-thing there. A bull-frog that I kept in my studio for more than a year swallowed fish, live mice, and brown bats; he also swallowed a frog of nearly his own size; but when he engulfed a young alligator, we were almost as amazed as if he had swallowed himself.

  The Frog.

  For the benefit of the curious, here is a partial record of Mr. Frog's meals from May until November:

  May 14th.—Over a dozen brown beetles.

  May 15th.—One full-grown live mouse.

  May 19th.—One full-grown spotted frog.

  May 24th.—A piece of beef one-third size of the frog himself.

  June 2d, 9 A.M.—One live mouse.

  June 2d, 1 P.M.—One live mouse.

  June 5th.—A piece of steak one-half size of the frog.

  July 18th.—One full-grown live mouse.

  July 20th.—One young alligator 11¼ inches long.

  This was a pet alligator, and I just came in in time to see the tip of his tail sticking out of the frog's mouth. Taking hold of the alligator's tail I helped Mr. Frog disgorge my pet, but the saurian was dead.

  July 27th.—One full-grown live mouse.

  July 29th.—One full-grown live mouse.

  August 9th.—One full-grown live mouse.

  September 17th.—One large brown bat.

  September 20th.—One live craw-fish.