HABITS OF MINNOW. 



139 



tion, 1867, vol. iv. p. 719, is a very able i^aper on the 

 minnow by M. Saubadon, who breeds large quantities of 

 them for food crevette, trout, and yomig salmon. M. 

 Saubadon breeds them artificially thus. The minnows 

 spawn on fine days at the end of April or in May, and 

 always on the same piece of ground. They assemble on 

 the spawning ground in vast numbers. The minnows, 

 having been caught c^uickly with the net, must be taken, 

 the female in one hand and the male in the other. By a 

 slight pressure the eggs and the milt will then come 

 out of the fish ; the water then must be gently stirred 

 with a feather. In fact, the operation of impregnating 

 the minnow's egg artificially is the same as that for sal- 

 mon eggs. The eggs when properly fertilised should be 

 hatched out in boxes, as used for salmon eggs, or 

 else placed in a box perforated with holes, and placed 

 in a running stream, so that the water should flow 

 gently through the box. M. Saubadon tells us that a 

 more simijle way of getting minnows' eggs is to search 

 the spawning beds of the minnov/s after they have done 

 spawning. It is a mistake to suppose that these eggs are 

 disseminated and washed away by the current among 

 the gravel and stones. 



He says that the eggs, which are very small, will be 

 found sticking adherent one to the other in the inter- 

 stices of the stones, and that sometimes one finds 

 masses from about 2 inches in width and 8 inches in 

 length. 



On May 30th he collected from ofi: the minnows' 

 spawning beds at least six pounds of minnows' eggs. 

 He has no hesitation in robbing the minnows' nests, as 

 these eggs have many enemies, especially eels, ducks, 

 and shore-rats, who quickly find out the minnows' nests, 

 and clear out all the eggs. This process of breeding 



