TAKING SPAWN BY HAND. 71 



The large fish are harder to handle, struggle more vio- 

 lently, and are more apt to be killed than the smaller ones 

 and do not average so many eggs, although now and then 

 one will have a very large number. Therefore, we consider 

 that the best fish for breeders, when the operation is con- 

 ducted by hand, are those weighing from one-quarter of a 

 pound to one pound. 



While the eggs are standing in the pan, at intervals o 

 three minutes, give the pan a gentle shake — ^just one shake. 

 While the eggs remain this way in the pan, the milt is 

 coming into contact with them and impregnating them ; 

 the object of the shake is to change the position of the 

 eggs so as to get them all fairly exposed to the influence 

 of the milt. It takes very little milt to impregnat 

 a large number of eggs. Enough to slightly tinge the 

 water, will impregnate a pan full of eggs. But, in prac- 

 tice, we generally take all the milt we can get out of 

 the haul. It is sometimes our custom also to put the male 

 fish, whose milt has been exhausted, into a pond by them, 

 selves, to keep them from running up into the race again, 

 and troubling the females. This is a very good plan, if 

 you have plenty of ponds and plenty of fish. If you have 

 but a small number of males, compared with the number 

 of females, put them back again into the pond, as they will 

 probably have a second and third edition of milt. 



Twenty to twenty-five minutes having now elapsed since 

 the pan of eggs was set into the trough, gently tip up the 

 pan. If the eggs are loose from the pan, and roll separately 

 as you move it, we are ready for subsequent operations ; if 

 not vet loose, let them be a while lono^er. 



We know that the semen of the male is full of animal- 

 cules. These will live for ten or fifteen minutes. There 

 is a hole for the reception of these animalcules in each 

 egg. The Qgg always sinks into the water with this hole 

 at the top. It receives one of the animacules only by this 



