212 PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. 
will be completely covered with bad eggs. Now, without the slightest jar, the basket is 
lowered far enough below the surface to permit an egg to float over the rim. The bad 
eggs will immediately start toward the edges of the tank. After a few seconds the 
basket is gently lowered until it rests upon the bottom. The remaining dead eggs are 
then brushed away from over the basket by means of quick, short, and light strokes of 
the feather fan; long, sweeping strokes are to be carefully avoided. One end of the 
basket is then gently raised until it is above the surface of the brine and the basket 
is drawn toward the end of the tank and out from under the floating dead eggs. At 
the same time the fan is used with the other hand to aid in moving any of these floating 
eggs to one side. The fan is then dropped and the lower end of the basket is grasped 
and the whole is quickly raised out of the solution. The basket is set at.an angle on 
the tank fora moment to drain and is then carried to the hatching trough. The 
attendant lifts out another basket to drain along with the four or five others originally 
removed and returns to the tank of brine with the basket that has been draining the 
longest. 
While this is being done the other operator skims the dead eggs off the surface of the 
brine and places the frame described above in the tank for a moment to stop all motion 
of the solution. After five or six baskets have been treated, any eggs that have settled 
to the bottom of the tank are removed, as they absorb and weaken the brine. It is 
necessary, as earlier mentioned, to add a little fresh brine after handling each basket. 
The eggs should be as clean as possible, as the solution will not be effective when it 
contains much sediment. A 1-inch hole with plug in one corner of the tank is con- 
venient for drawing off any deposit of this character. Should failure occur in treating 
a basket of eggs, as, for example, if by sudden jar they are all caused to sink, or if the 
brine is too weak or too strong, the basket must be put back in the hatching trough, 
as it will not respond to treatment again the same day. 
At Yes Bay last winter a large portion of the 72,000,000 eggs were thoroughly cleaned 
up at one handling. Two men ran as many as 10,000,000 eggs through the salt bath in 
asingle day. Itis customary on the day after treating the eggs to have them gone over 
so that if any dead eggs remain they may be picked out by hand. This, however, 
requires very little time, as but few dead eggs are.found. No alarm need be felt if the 
eggs seem to shrink as a result of the immersion, for they will soon resume their normal 
size upon being replaced in fresh water. 
The use of the salt solution has been extended lately to the handling of lake trout 
eggs in Michigan and Minnesota, and there appears to be no reason why it is not equally 
well adapted to the eggs of other salmonoids. Certainly its many advantages commend 
further experimentation in this direction. 
The eggs of the salmon hatch very gradually at first, only a small 
proportion coming out the first day, but the number increases daily 
until the climax is reached, when large numbers of young burst 
their shells in a single day. As at this time the vast number of dis- 
carded shells are apt to clog up the guard screens at the outlets of 
the troughs, great care and vigilance is necessary to prevent this by 
thoroughly cleansing them frequently. 
The hatched fish easily slip through the oblong mesh in the bottom 
of the trays into the space below. They should be assisted in doing 
this by gently raising and lowering the tray at intervals, care being 
taken not to raise them out of the water. 
After they are all hatched out and in the bottom of the troughs, 
about the only danger to guard against is that of suffocation. They 
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