Evening star., 1937-02-02
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Some boys found couple Of small
goldfish in Rock Creek the other day, and
wondered how they got there.
Two explanations are possible.
There are more goldfish in the Po-
tomac River, 1t is said. than in any river
in the world.
This rather surprising fact Is due to
the periodic overflow OF great goldfish
hatcheries in upper Maryland.
At the time of floods. usually in the
freshets in Spring, millions OF these
small creatures, belonging to the carp
family, are swept down tributaries to
the Potomac River.
There they live and breed. many OF
the youngsters reverting to the bronze
of the original goldflshes. 1t must be
kept in mind that the humblest Speci-
mems purchased for few cents are yet
very much developed animals. Those
only are sold which develop the gold
color, or white, black or some other
variation.
Out of every batch Of hundred fry,
say, there will be a certain per cent
which never turn gold, but remain dull.
bronzy color.
Fishermen along the Potomac often
hook large goldfishes. If they have re-
tanned their brightness they are recog-
nized at once for what they are, and
usually are thrown back into the stream.
But If they have reverted to the original
color of all goldfishes in the wild. they
may be mistaken for quite other species.
The other possibility. when one finds
real goldfish in Rock Creek. is that they
have not swum up from the river, but
simply have been dumped in the creek
by some fancier who had grown tired
of them.
This is not cruel procedure, pro-
vided the fancier was enough Of a
fancier to understand the necessity for
equalizing the water from which they
were dumped with the temperature Of
the creek when putting them in.
This is easily secured by permitting
the bucket to rest on the brink until
the water in it is as cold as the air.
II the time is taken for this the un-
wanted fishes will find themselves in a
new and vastly larger world, in which
they will be much better off. all things
taken into consideration. than they were
in few gallons in tank or bowl.
The best time for this transfer. of
course. is Spring or summer, when there
will be plenty of mosquito larvae for the
fishes to consume.
No doubt the goldflshes found by the
boys were transferred during one of
the recent Springlike days, and suffered
no particular harm.
There are very few tropical specimens,
however. which should be so treated.
These are. with few exceptions, warm
water animals, as their common name
implies, and cannot be put into really
cold water without their death resulting
in few hours or days, at the most
Probably the only exotic specimen
which might be so treated during Win
ter. even in warm month, is the famous
Paradise fish. which has been known to
fanciers since 1868.
This was the first tropical fish" to be
kept in small tanks. 1t is an unusually
hardy creature. being able to endure
temperatures as low as 40 degrees, or
lower, but certainly not freezing. or a
near approach to it, for any considerable
length of time.
Even the hardy guppy, a small fish
known to thousands of persons now
adays. cannot survive in outdoor pools
after October. in this climate.
Those persons who dump such trop-