68 TAKING SPAWN BY HAND. 



The fish being now in the tub must be taken to the 

 hatching-house as quickly as possible. There are probably 

 in the tub some fifteen or twenty fish, and all the opera- 

 tions must be conducted as quickly as possible so that the 

 fish will not die in the small quantity of water to which 

 they are confined. So long as the fish lie qaiet in the bot- 

 tom of the tub there is sufficient air in the water to sustain 

 them, but so soon as they begin to jump to the surface of 

 the water and try to leap from the tub, it is a sign that the 

 air is nearly exhausted and the water should be renewed. 

 They will also open their mouth wide, just as a person 

 would when gasping for air. The question has sometimes 

 been asked how long a Trout would live out of water; the 

 answer is, about as long as a man would live under the 

 water. Trout will die in a tub out of which the oxygen 

 has been exhausted by their breathing, more quickly than 

 they would die in a cloudy day if out of tlie water en- 

 tirely. 



A fire may be made in the hatching-house to warm 

 your fingers, which will probably get cool while engaged 

 in this operation. A six-quart milk-pan is to be provided, 

 filled half full of water, if you have many fish, and also 

 another tub of water, into which to put the fish after they 

 are deprived of their spawn. Select a male fish, and hold- 

 ing tim over the milk-pan, with his belly under the sur- 

 face, rub it gently with the fore finger and thumb, from 

 the pectoral fins to the vent. A little experience will show 

 how this is to be done. If the fish is ripe, a few drops of 

 pearly or milk-colored milt is forcibly expressed into the 

 water. If the milt is not of this color, it shows that the 

 milt is not good, and another male must be taken and 

 treated in a similar manner. Go on until a good one is 

 found. But if the first one is not good, it is probable that 

 the second one will be all right. Then take a female fish 

 and pressing it in the same way, the eggs will be exuded. 



