Chapter X. 

 PROPAGATION. 



Among fish culturists it is tlie universal custom to divide fishes 

 into two classes according to the season in which they spawn ; we 

 thus have summer spawning and winter spawning fish. They are 

 further more distinguished as they differ in the mode of depositing 

 the eggs, as some are laid on or in receptacles usually called "nests," 

 especially prepared by the fish for that purpose, and others again are 

 dropped loosely into the water without any precautions having been 

 taken for their protection. In the latter case they again differ in 

 being either "adhesive" or "non-adhesive," in the one instance 

 adhering to anything they may happen to touch and remaining until 

 hatched, in the other sinking to the bottom or floating about at 

 random on the surface. 



The goldfish belongs to the summer spawning class, builds no 

 nest and its eggs are adhesive in the full sense of the word. In those 

 fish depositing non-adhesive eggs, the extrusion of them by hand, 

 and their artificial impregnation is profitable, but with the carp-like 

 fishes, a higher percentage of young is obtained when the spawning 

 is allowed to proceed in its natural manner. Besides, their eggs not 

 being mature all at the same- time, would make the operation of 

 extrusion an oft-to-be repeated affair, and which, furthermore, would 

 greatly endanger the life of the fish and require much time and 

 attention. ' 



51 



