﻿122 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  At 
  Put-in 
  Bay 
  eggs 
  are 
  obtained 
  from 
  fish 
  captured 
  in 
  pound 
  nets 
  

   and 
  gill 
  nets, 
  often 
  at 
  considerable 
  distances 
  from 
  the 
  station. 
  The 
  

   spawn-taker, 
  w 
  ho 
  is 
  employed 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  fish 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  

   lifted 
  from 
  the 
  nets 
  into 
  the 
  boat, 
  has 
  with 
  him 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  6-quart 
  

   pans, 
  coated 
  with 
  asphaltum 
  varnish 
  to 
  prevent 
  rusting, 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  

   takes 
  the 
  spawn 
  ; 
  a 
  wooden 
  keg 
  or 
  tin 
  can 
  holding 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  gallons; 
  

   a 
  10-quart 
  wooden 
  j)ail, 
  and 
  a 
  tin 
  dipper. 
  He 
  is 
  clothed 
  in 
  waterproof 
  

   garments, 
  and 
  his 
  left 
  hand 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  woolen 
  mitten 
  for 
  con- 
  

   venience 
  in 
  handling 
  the 
  fish. 
  

  

  After 
  several 
  ripe 
  females 
  and 
  some 
  ripe 
  males 
  are 
  collected, 
  a 
  female 
  

   is 
  taken, 
  and 
  the 
  body 
  slime, 
  which 
  will 
  interfere 
  with 
  impregnation 
  if 
  

   it 
  falls 
  into 
  the 
  pan, 
  is 
  carefully 
  removed. 
  The 
  spawn-taker 
  then 
  

   grasps 
  the 
  fish 
  firmly 
  in 
  his 
  left 
  hand, 
  just 
  forward 
  of 
  the 
  tail, 
  with 
  the 
  

   back 
  of 
  the 
  hand 
  downward, 
  the 
  fingers 
  outward, 
  the 
  thumb 
  above 
  and 
  

   pointing 
  outward, 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  being 
  toward 
  the 
  spawn-taker's 
  

   body. 
  The 
  right 
  hand 
  is 
  placed 
  under 
  the 
  fish 
  just 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  pectoral 
  

   fins, 
  with 
  the 
  wrist 
  pressing 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  firmly 
  against 
  the 
  body, 
  

   the 
  thumb 
  outward, 
  fingers 
  inward, 
  thus 
  grasping 
  the 
  upper 
  abdomen 
  

   firmly. 
  The 
  fish 
  is 
  now 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  nearly 
  45°, 
  the 
  body 
  forming 
  a 
  

   modified 
  crescent, 
  with 
  the 
  vent 
  within 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  inches 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  

   pan. 
  This 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  fish's 
  body 
  brings 
  pressure 
  on 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  

   facilitates 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  through 
  gravity 
  and 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  

   vent, 
  and 
  prevents 
  injury 
  to 
  them 
  from 
  falling 
  too 
  far. 
  (See 
  plate 
  34.) 
  

  

  Gentle 
  pressure 
  being 
  now 
  applied, 
  the 
  eggs 
  flow 
  in 
  a 
  steady, 
  liquid 
  

   stream 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   portion 
  of 
  them 
  will 
  be 
  procured 
  before 
  the 
  hand 
  need 
  be 
  moved. 
  As 
  

   soon 
  as 
  the 
  stream 
  slackens 
  the 
  hand 
  is 
  slowly 
  moved 
  toward 
  the 
  vent, 
  

   but 
  only 
  fast 
  enough 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  eggs 
  coming 
  in 
  a 
  continual 
  stream. 
  

   When 
  it 
  finally 
  stops 
  the 
  hand 
  is 
  replaced 
  in 
  its 
  former 
  position 
  and 
  

   the 
  process 
  repeated 
  until 
  all 
  the 
  good 
  eggs 
  are 
  procured. 
  If, 
  as 
  is 
  

   frequently 
  the 
  case, 
  when 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  ripe 
  eggs 
  are 
  emitted 
  a 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  number 
  of 
  white 
  ones 
  appear, 
  the 
  work 
  s'hould 
  stop. 
  

  

  The 
  dry 
  process 
  of 
  impregnation 
  is 
  now 
  universally 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  better, 
  and 
  the 
  pan 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  taken 
  is 
  only 
  dampened 
  

   by 
  dipping 
  it 
  into 
  water 
  before 
  the 
  strij)ping 
  begins. 
  After 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   females 
  have 
  been 
  manipulated 
  the 
  milt 
  from 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  males 
  is 
  added 
  

   to 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  eggs. 
  This 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  grasping 
  the 
  fish 
  between 
  the 
  

   thumb 
  and 
  fingers 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  inches 
  forward 
  of 
  the 
  vent 
  and 
  moving 
  them 
  

   toward 
  the 
  opening. 
  The 
  milt 
  comes 
  in 
  a 
  stream, 
  an 
  average 
  fish 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  about 
  a 
  teaspoonful. 
  If 
  ripe 
  males 
  are 
  scarce 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  laid 
  

   aside, 
  as 
  he 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  again 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  and 
  considerable 
  addi- 
  

   tional 
  milt 
  procured. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  pan 
  is 
  one-half 
  or 
  two-thirds 
  full 
  of 
  spawn 
  and 
  milt, 
  the 
  

   spawn-taker 
  gently 
  stirs 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  incorporate 
  them 
  thoroughly 
  with 
  

   the 
  milt, 
  using 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  the 
  tail 
  of 
  a 
  fish, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   slime 
  has 
  been 
  carefully 
  removed. 
  The 
  pan 
  is 
  then 
  partly 
  filled 
  with 
  

   water 
  and 
  the 
  mass 
  again 
  very 
  gently 
  stirred. 
  After 
  standing 
  two 
  or 
  

  

  