240 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



take the eggs and milt iu two S3parate dry dishes, then put water with 

 the milt and turn the mixture immediately upon the eggs. I carried 

 the dry feature a step further, taking the eggs and the milt into a dry 

 pan and securing contact of the milt with every egg before allowing 

 water to touch either of them. The contact was secured by moving the 

 pan rapidly in a circle so as to send the eggs whirling together over its 

 bottom. This being elfected, water was added, and after standing fifteen 

 or twenty minutes, or until the eggs ceased to adhere to the pan, they 

 were carried to the hatching-house and placed upon the grilles. When 

 sufiticient time had elapsed, and the fecund eggs began to develop, it 

 was found that they were 96 per cent, of the whole — a very gratifying 

 result. The following table exhibits the number of eggs taken, the 

 ratio of fecundation in each lot, and the number lost by the white 

 diseases : 



The temperature of the water was, at the beginning of incubation, 

 46° F., but from I^ovember 23 to December 18 the average was about 

 41°. The eggs came forward sufficiently to be transported on the 18th 



tozoids retaiu the faculty of setting themselves iu motion whenever they lind them 

 selves in contact with water. Inclosed iu a dry tube, and well corked, the milt pre- 

 serves its fertilizing properties for six days. 



Taking into consideration these observations, and the fact that both eggs and milt 

 are slowly obtained, their entire mass not coming at once, Vrasski reached the conclu- 

 sion that, when iu water, the greater part of the eggs filled themselves with water, and 

 the spermatozoids ceased to move before it was possible for the pisciculturist to mingle 

 the eggs with the diluted milt; he therefore adopted the system of dry dishes, and 

 turned the milt upon the eggs as soon as he had diluted it. His success was complete; 

 the eggs were fecuudated without a single exception. 



* These eggs came from the single fish caught in Dead Brook. The fish was killed 

 when caught, carried about three miles, and, after it had been dead perhaps two hours, 

 the eggs were taken and fecundated. On packing up they were found to be so defective 

 that tliey were turned out into the brook. 



t These were purposely left unfecundated. 



