148 DOMESTICATED TROUT. 



last that was three years old, which, from having a 

 dark skin and a crook in his back, my friends had 

 nicknamed the " Black Crook." 



The alevin stage is, on the whole, the easiest time 

 for the trout breeder of the trout's whole life ; and if 

 everything is right at the outset when the eggs hatch, 

 the alevins will be almost no trouble at all. 



At this stage there are no eggs to pick over, no 

 mouths to feed, not much care as to the amount of 

 water supply, and none of the anxiety about their lives 

 which comes a little later. This rest in the cares 

 and labors of the trout raiser, however, is only the lull 

 before the storm. No sooner is this stage over, and 

 the trout get well to feeding, than work and danger 

 begin again, as will be seen in the next chapter. 



