EXPERIMENT WITH EGGS. 29 



with an impromptu net, made of an old soda- 

 \Yater bottle wire and a bit of netting, such 

 as is used by ladies. I cannot understand 

 how the trout manages to get her eggs so deep 

 in the sand. They certainly sink in the 

 water ; but one would fancy the current would 

 whip them away in a moment. Again, how 

 is it that they are not often crushed ? I have 

 stated above their coats are very elastic ; but 

 I had no idea they were so tough. In order 

 to ascertain positively how much direct 

 w^eight they would bear, in the presence of 

 my brother officers, I tried experiments on 

 the eggs by placing iron stamped weights on 

 individual eggs. I was astonished to find that 

 they were not crushed till I had placed no 

 less than five pounds six ounces on them. 

 As regards the mode of action and the 



