238 PROPAGATION OF FISH. 
age, that tlie young of the latter are larger and grow 
faster than those of the former ; but my observation has 
not convinced me that this is the case. The spawning 
season commences about the middle of October, and lasts 
nearly two months, some fish, like hens, laying and hatch- 
ing earlier than others ; a great convenience to the 
breeder, who is not hnrried by their coming in all to- 
gether. Of course, the young appear at different' times, 
the first about the ninth of January and the last in 
March ; they take about sixty days to hatch, according 
to the weather and w^ater. When they first appear, the 
body of the egg^ like a bag, adheres to the abdomen, 
and its absorption forms their support for thirty days, 
after which they must be fed with pieces of worm, of 
raw or cooked fish, and of raw or cooked meat grated or 
pounded fine or with boiled blood. They eat, also, small 
animalculse in the spring-water, flies or insects that float 
upon its surface, and are especially fond of the micro- 
scopic animals in stagnant pools, and I should suppose 
of the minute worms generated in boiled flour allowed 
to turn sour. But contrary to the generally received 
opinion, I warn breeders to keep frogs from their trout 
ponds ; as these live on the young fish. Although the 
trout may fancy frog's sj^awn, which is questionable, the 
latter more than return the compliment by preferring 
the young fish entire. My attention was particularly 
attracted to the fact that around the pond where the fry 
lived, the frogs were abundant, while there were none in 
the preserve of the big fish. I concluded they were 
afraid of the latter, till one day I caught and threw a frog 
to them, and found, mucli to my surprise, they would 
