Il8 DOMESTICATED TROUT. 



should be taken, however, to have the water about two 

 inches deep, or the concussion of the falling water in 

 the earlier stages of the eggs will sometimes be inju- 

 rious to the embryo. 



3. Living enemies. So much has been already said 

 about this class of dangers, that I would pass them by 

 here, if I had not seen so much carelessness on the 

 part of trout breeders in leaving their eggs exposed to 

 these enemies. I am convinced that persons gener- 

 ally do not begin to realize the clanger from this source, 

 and I have often wished, for their benefit, that a pic 

 ture could be drawn, representing all the enemies to 

 trout eggs directing their steps just after nightfall to 

 their nightly feast in the hatching-house troughs. It 

 is true they do not all come at once ; but if they did, 

 there would be in the picture mice, rats, weasles, 

 muskrats, minks, cats, frogs, snakes, lizards, evets, 

 caddis-worms, w^ater-spiders, boat-flies, water-beetles, 

 and snails ; and then the picture would not include 

 ducks, geese, wild water-fowl, eels, large trout, and 

 countless other fish which would come in the daytime 

 if they could get at them. 



Yet persons imagine that, because they do not see 

 these creatures feeding on the eggs or young fry in 

 the morning when they open the hatching-house, they 

 have probably not been there. But it is just the 

 reverse. The probability is all the other way. It is 

 even a certainty. Just imagine for a moment that a 

 starving mouse has strayed into the house some freez- 

 ing night ; it will not be long before he will find the 

 eggs, and will make a feast on them. How can you 



