820 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISRERIES. 



iuff catch exceeded the evening catch, the record shows that two began 

 with stormy weather, but cleared off before morning; two others were 

 rainy nights nine and ten days after full moon, while the fifth and most 

 notable instance (Koyember 9-10) was on a night partly clear and partly 

 clondy, succeeding a rainy day, fiye days after new moon, when, of 

 course the eyening was light and the morning dark. On ordinary 

 pleasait nights the greatest run was commonly in the eyening, whateyer 

 the phase of the moon. The yery best catch (425 fish, November 3 and 4,) 

 was with light northwest wind, and clear sky all night, with no moon. 

 The next best three (of 375, 368, and 362 fish, respectiyely,) were also on 

 nights with northerly wind, mostly clear. Of the next two (291 and 272 

 fish, respectively,) one was on a clear evening followed by a cloudy morn- 

 ing, and the other on occasion of a storm which cleared away during 

 the night and gave us a heavy morning catch. 



3.— Taking spawn. \ 



In taking spawn the ortUnary procedure was about as foUows: The 

 fish to be operated upon were brought close in front of the spawning-shed 

 by means of a fine seine, and were then dipped up, two or three at a 

 tune, in a dip-net, and passed to the operators in the shed, who, armed 

 with woolen mittens, sat on stools, with ten quart tm pans before them. 

 The fish that came first to hand, whether male or female, was immedi- 

 ately used, if ready. The males were always ready. If a female, her 

 condition was first judged from her appearance when held up by the 

 tail If ripe, the mass of spawn would settle down towards the head, 

 distending excessively the anterior part of the abdomen, which was very 

 soft and yielduig to the touch, and leaving the posterior part very lank. 

 Such a fish was immediately pressed and the eggs received m the pan. 

 If the fish, when suspended in this way, retained its shape, and its abdo- 

 men felt firm to the touch it was pronounced unripe without bemg sub- 

 iected to pressure. The eggs of from six to ten females (averaging 1,000 

 eo--s apiece), and the milt of about the same number of males (or less) 

 were pressed into the same pan, and after using each fish the eggs and 

 milt were brought into more complete contact by swaying the pan. Not 

 much regard was paid to the order in which the fish were used. When 

 six to ten thousand eggs were gathered in one paq, it was, after repeated 

 swaying, passed over to be weighed and afterwards watered and rinsed 

 off There was no fixed rule as to the length of time the milt and eggs 

 should remain in contact. Commonly some of them were in contact 

 half an hour or an hour and others only a few minutes. After rmsmg, 

 the eggs were covered with water, the pans being nearly filled, and then 

 placed on shelves to await the complete distention of the shell, after 

 which they were taken to the hatching-house in pails, as soon as con- 

 venient If compeUed to stand several hours in the pans they were 

 treated with a change of water. No water was placed in the pans until 

 contact between eggs and mUt was supposed to have been secured, but 



