The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
T4KING CANE or III FISHES.
Patience Often Required to Keep Them IN
Condition.

A subject Of constant thought, to those having
the care Of the Aquarium stock. like tho
Aquarium in New York is 10 the manner in
which the fishes and other creatures are feed.
ing A. n general proposition nsh with good
appetite is in better health than one that Is shy
Of food Every effort is made TO keep up the fishes
appetites, and To give them what they want 70
eat This often involves personal attention
10 individual fishes, such : fishes in good health
but blind Ailing. sensitive or lsnguid fishes
are induced II possible TO cat suitable food in
sufficient quantity To keep up their strength and
bring them into state of health and content
ment II might not be that the men who had tho
welfare Of the fishes at heart would feel toward
them. as 10 their feeding, as mother does to-
ward her children. but their feeling would in
some respects resemble IT,
So far as the fishes are concerned there are
some at loas; that sc, about the same care that
children would. Take for instance AT the Aqua
rum that ugly creature, the green moray, com
monty called the sea serpent The green moray
is feet long plenty big enough To keep itself.
which. however, 1t practically never does The
big baby has had its food pu, into It's mouth for IT,
since the dav It came into the Aquarium, now
more than four months ago But nobody objects
TO feeding it in that way: in fact they ore mighty
glad to feed II so, II that's the way tho
serpent wants TO he fed. All they ask
OF the serpent is, that II will eat in some
/. way. he green moray ~ fed mostly on cod
fsh and herring. this food being cut into strips
OF convenient size for II to take into its mouth
and TO swallow \ piece 81 this fish Is implacd
loosely the pointed end Of a slender wooden rod.
which is then thrust down under the surface, tho
tip with the food upon ii, being moved gently
about in the water. II the serpent is hungry Il
rcars its heal, and raises. like name it's long
dnrsal nn which extends the length oi its body
II il is hungry IL Tcars its head and rises TO the
food with It's big, deep iawrti mouth open. and
into the open mouth the food Is put being gently
II was carried down tolt The strip may be- placed
croSSwlsc Of the mOrHv'S Jaws. and extending a
little on either side that II will be less likely to
spill il out and sometimes IL is placed fairly within
the mouth resting lcngthwiSe IN tho cavity ~ tho
lower jaw. II is always placed in the mouth in
some way.
Then the serpent may swallow II. and eat in
succession, two, three, half a dozen pieces il may
ba thnt he doesn't cat anv that he Just holds
that first piece in his mouth, few second OF
on the bottom nf the tank, While he eats more
on some DAYS than on others on some days he
eats nothing NJ all, Sometimes when he won't
eat at one hour he will Al another On DAYS when
nothing, tho last thing done at night always,
nv the man under whose sr~"ial care the senst.
prnt falls, II il To 20 around and hand him down
the best piece q Goldfish in the aquarium, and tn
give him q chance OF getting bite oi something
10 cat u he wants IL.
The green moray Just now is eating worry we'll
The silc Of the pieces fed TO him has been grad
uay Increased unit those now Tod twice as
big AZ the pieces fed originally he serpent
does not apparently note the difference: but now,
in that hs much nu,rin,ent he formerly took
in eating two pieces This might Fccm 70 some
folks like MA wing il on the serpent Just o
little bit, but II is done for the serpent's good