MEMBRANES, OVARIES, AND OVIDUCTS OF SALMONOIDS. 205 



with great force against the bottom of the pan. Shortly the flow slackens and must be encouraged and 

 forced by pressing and stroking the abdomen ^^^th the left hand. It is better to use the face of the 

 palm or the edge of the hand rather than pinch between the thumb and fingers; the latter action, 

 especially when working down near the vent, is apt to rupture some of the minor blood vessels, with 

 the result of internal bleeding, and it is better to leave some of the eggs behind to be taken another 

 day than to run the risk of such rupture. 



In the same publication, George A. Seagle (1900, p. 66) describes a somewhat 

 more careful method of taking eggs from the rainbow trout as follows: 



In taking spawn the manipulation of the fish without injury is a very delicate and exacting task, 

 full knowledge of which can only be acquired by experience, as it is difficult to squeeze the spawn 

 from the fish without injuring or even killing it. In taking hold of the fish in the spawning tub the 

 operator catches it by the head with the right hand, the back of the hand being up, and at the same 

 time slips the lefthand under the fish and grasps it near the tail, between the anal and caudal fins. If 

 the fish struggles it must be held firmly, but gently, until it becomes quiet, and when held in the right 

 position it will struggle only for a moment. A large fish may he held with its head under the right arm. 



When the struggle is over the right hand is passed down the abdomen of the fish until a point 

 midway between the pectoral and ventral fins is reached; then, with the thumb and index finger, the 

 abdomen is pressed gently, and at the same time the hand is slipped toward the vent. If the eggs 

 are ready to be taken they will come freely and easily, and if they do not the fish is put back Ln the 

 pond until ready to spawn. If the eggs come freely from the first pressiu'e the operation is repeated, 

 beginning at or near the ventral fin. 



After the first pressure has been given, by holding the head of the fish higher than the tail, all 

 of the eggs that have fallen from the ovaries and are ready to be expressed will fall into the abdomen, 

 near the vent, so that it will not be necessary to press the fish again over its vital parts, the eggs having 

 left that portion of the body. All of the eggs that have fallen into the abdomen below the ventral fin 

 can be easily ejected without danger of injiuy to the fish, caused by unnecessary pressure over its 

 important organs after the eggs have left that part of the body. If these directions are judiciously and 

 carefully folio wed , but little, if any, damage will result; and, as an illustration, it may be mentioned 

 that fish have been kept for 14 years and their full quota of eggs extracted each season during the egg- 

 producing term, which is normally from 10 to 12 years. The male fish is to be treated very much in 

 the same manner as the female, except the milt must not be forced out, only that which comes freely 

 being taken. 



At the thirteenth annual meeting of the American Fish Cultural Society, Charles 

 G. Atkins presented some notes on the landlocked salmon, regarding which, among 

 other things, he said: 



Among the migratory salmon of the Penobscot, ovarian disease is rare; but \vith the landlocked 

 salmon of the Schoodic Lakes it is very common. In 1883, by careful observation, we learned that 

 18 per cent of the female fish were affected with some disease of the ovaries, resulting in defects of the 

 eggs which were apparent to the eye, in some instances involving the entire litter, but generally a very 

 small number of eggs The phenomenon was observed before artificial breeding began at Grand Lake 

 Stream, and does not appear to be influenced thereby. 



Atkins does not state under what circumstances or conditions the phenomenon 

 was previously observed, but it is, perhaps, significant that following the adoption of 

 the gradual stripping process at Grand Lake Stream there were no further reports of 

 "ovarian trouble" or defective eggs among the salmon. 



These facts indicate that in the case of those salmonoids which normally sur\'i%'e 

 the season of reproduction, all care possible should be exercised in the process of manip- 

 ulation for the purposes of artificial propagation. 



The fish should be gently handled and at no time should be permitted to hang and 

 struggle head downward. Inasmuch as the fish does not naturally emit the eggs at one 

 75412°— 22 14 



