MILNEK ON THE ARTIFICIAL CULTURE OF THE SHAD. 427 



oviducts. In an unripe one the eggs will not flow at all, and if the 

 eggs are only nearly ready, tlie extrusion is difficult and in masses 

 and the fish is rejected. When a female is found from which the 

 eggs flow in a liquid stream when a gentle pressure is applied, it 

 is carefully takeu in the hands of the operator, the left hand ap- 

 plied closely arouud tlie tail and the head of the fish crowded against 

 his body, while with the right hand a slight pressure is applied 

 with the thumb aud fiuger to the abdomen of the fish, and a stripping 

 movement executed which causes the eggs to flow rapidly into the pan. 

 As soon as it is evident that the spawn is all obtained, the shad is 

 thrown into the basket, it being impossible to preserve the lives of 

 so delicate a fish even if the utmost care is taken in handling it- 

 But though they are delicate in this particular, and have a very slight 

 tenacity o£ life when taken from the water, they are a A^ery muscular 

 fish. Experts in fish-culture who have handled the white-fish and 

 salmon-trout of the lakes, regard them much stronger than the same 

 sized fishes of either of the latter species, aud if the utmost pains is not 

 taken to prevent their releasing themselves from the hold, they will 

 flounder and splash in the pan of eggs and probably throw a large pro- 

 jjortion out, and damage some of those that remain. 



In stripping down the abdomen, a great many scales will be removed 

 from the sides of the fish. These, if carelessly allowed to fall into tho 

 pan, will be an annoyance, as the eggs will adhere to them. They can 

 be gathered and thrown away, by an adroit movement of the hand, with 

 a little experience, without making any delay in the operation of strip- 

 ping the fish. 



Mr. Green estimates the number of ova taken from an average spaw- 

 ner at about 20,000 eggs, aud rarely estimates above 28,000 for the 

 most prolific shad. Mr C. C. Smith, operating for the Connecticut State 

 commission, estimates an average good spawner at 50,000 ova. We 

 have not made a test of these estimates, aud are not prepared to offer 

 an opinion with reference to the disagreement. 



The salmon family contains the species that had, previous to 1867, 

 been dealt with in fish-culture on any considerable scale in the United 

 States, nor had any of the family of fishes that embrace the shad, the 

 Clu])cklce, been experimented with in Europe. 



The conditions that necessitated new methods in the shad-hatching 

 from that of the trout and salmon were not only in the less specific grav- 

 ity of the shad ova, but in the very much less period of time re- 

 quired for the development of the fish from the egg. With the trout, at 

 the ordinary temperature of spring- water, about 47^, the troat-eggs re- 

 main in the hatching-troughs from seventy to one hundred days j with 

 the salmon in some hatching establishments, where the water assumes a 

 winter temperature of 35° or 36^, the fish are not hatched out under about 

 five months from the time the eggs are impregnated. The shad, wheu 

 the temperature of the water was as low as from 62° to 07°, only re« 



