656 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



little fish can be easily observed, especially as to how they take to the 

 different kinds of food which is offered' to them, and, in the second place, 

 the conditions of life of the numerous animalculse living in the water can 

 be investigated, and snch observations will in nearly every case yield 

 some practical result for the pisciculturist. He learns to know a large 

 number of facts which will furnish him the key to many phenomena 

 which are insoluble mysteries to the majority of men. As Mr. Fruwirth 

 also possesses a Zeiss microscope with every contrivance which is re- 

 quired in making microscopic observations, a person may at once go to 

 work. A stove makes it possible to use the laboratory all winter. I 

 must not forget to mention that this room also contains a very complete, 

 well preserved, and tastefully mounted collection of specimens of the 

 trout, the saibling, and bastards, in all the various stages of their devel- 

 opment from the egg to the completed second year. 



In the pond Wa those fish are kept which have reached the age of 

 maturity. During the spawning season they ascend to the hatching- 

 house by way of the channel marked L ; and as this channel can be 

 closed by a trap-door where it opens into the pond Wa, they are easily 

 caught. In extracting the roe Mr. Fruwirth pursues a method different 

 from the one generally adopted. He takes hold of the fish by the head 

 and tail and simply bends it ; in doing this only the fully matured eggs 

 come out ; there is no danger, like in the so-called " squeezing" process, 

 that many of the immature eggs are also torn loose. The fish which 

 have yielded a portion of their eggs are again placed in their native 

 element separate from the others, and are again taken up after some 

 time. Mr. Fruwirth informed me that as long as he pursued the usual 

 method he often found in the vessels eggs which, although outwardly 

 perfectly healthy, had not begun to develop, whilst at present this is 

 no longer the case. As even when entirely free the trout never dis- 

 charges all her eggs at one time, this simple and natural procedure 

 adopted by Mr. Fruwirth must be highly recommended. 



Before describing some special arrangements, e. g., the feeding-ponds 

 (1 to 16) and the " chambers " for the young fry (I K), I will explain the 

 diagram. The gray squares in the ponds Si to S 5 , and Wa are floating 

 boards, which are placed there to give the trout a chance to protect 

 themselves against the rays of the sun or to find a dark place. This 

 object, however, will be better reached in a few years by the growing 

 willow-trees. These boards are weighed down by stones and are there- 

 fore a little below the surface. This is very essential, for fish jumping 

 out of the water, as they frequently do, might accidentally alight on 

 these boards and would soon die if the boards were dry and hot. SK, 

 the so-called " sorting-chambers," are compartments where during fish- 

 ing, or whenever it is desirable, the fish may be sorted according to size 

 and species. W and H mark the dwelling of the keeper and a dog's 

 kennel. J 7 is a place for storing salt horseflesh for feeding the growing 

 and matured fish. Nothing but perfectly healthy meat is used. It is 



