42 Mr. J. J. Armistead [Feb. 14, 



to admit that they had a larger percentage of mortality in their 

 metal baskets or trays than they had when they used glass grilles. 

 They said " we have discarded glass grilles long ago. They are too 

 expensive"; and they made use of other excuses. But, however, 

 we find in practice that we can get far better results from these 

 glass grilles, because, as I have said, there is nothing to contaminate 

 the ova or do them any injury. The trout eggs absorb any metallic 

 matter which may be in the water, and become so saturated with it 

 in course of time as to be very seriously injured. They may not be 

 absolutely killed at the time, but it has been found that, although 

 there is only a slightly increased mortality in hatching upon the metal, 

 there is a greater mortality amongst the fish afterwards. They do 

 not live to grow up in the same way as they do when they are hatched 

 on the glass. I have here certain little imjjlements which are used in 

 the hatchery for working amongst the ova and the little fish. There 

 is a dipping tube which is used for picking up a fish for exami- 

 nation in the hatching boxes. These are some young trout which 

 I have in here, and they are called " alevins." They are easily picked 

 up in these tubes, which are of different shapes. For all these 

 difierent appliances, and a great many others, we require a house of 

 considerable dimensions in which to put them. I will show you now 

 a view in one of my hatcheries (Fig. 1). 



First of all the water enters the building, and flows along a 

 distributing tank. There are two of these tanks, one containing 

 spring water and the other containing river water. The spring water 

 we find very much the best of the two for incubation, and the river 

 water much the best for growing the fish, so that we can turn on 

 which we like, to suit circumstances as the process goes on. There 

 are pipes by which the water is conducted to the hatching boxes. 

 The hatching boxes are covered with lids in order to keep the fish in 

 the dark. In the natural stream the eggs are buried in the gravel, 

 and we find that light is decidedly injurious to 

 the little embryo trout after they hatch ; so we 

 keep them in the dark. 



These are fish-carriers used for sending away 

 the fish after they have grown (Fig. 2). We 

 put ice in the upper, and the fish in the lower 

 part, and there is a screen of perforated zinc 

 which prevents the ice tumbling in, and as it 

 melts it drips down and keeps the water cool. 



There is another view in another hatchery, 

 where we have a tank which is used for spawn- 

 ing pui'poses, the fish being thrown in after 

 Fig. 2. they are spawned, the spawning operations be- 



ing conducted alongside. I am very sorry that 

 they were not going on at the time that the photograph was taken. 

 But the fish, after having the ova stripped from them, are put into the 

 tank for a short time until they can be taken away. 



