796 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



that the water hi the stream was very low ; that it had actually ceased 

 to flow iuto the hatching-house, and that from the hatchiug-troughs 

 themselves it had leaked away, till they were only half full and half the 

 eggs were in the air. The air of the hatching-house was far below the 

 freezing point. Ice coated the frames, and the upper layers of eggs in 

 several of the Irames appeared to be frozen. The situation was alarm- 

 ing. The greatest exertions were made to free the gates of the dam 

 from the ice blockade, and in half an hour we had the satisfaction of 

 seeing the water flowing through the hatching-troughs as usual. An 

 examination into the condition of the eggs a few hours later dispelled 

 our fears. l^Tot more than a hundred were killed. I suppose that those 

 which appeared to be frozen on the first examination were merely en- 

 cased in ice, or possibly the outer shell was frozen, the interior of the 

 egg remaining untouched. At any rate, they all thawed out without 

 loss, except the few mentioned. These losses were confined to the outer 

 edges of the upper and more exposed trays. It would probably have 

 taken some hours longer for the freezing temiierature to have pene- 

 trated to the interior of the frames of eggs (each frame held 20 shallow 

 trays piled one above another). Had the stoppage of water continued 

 for six or eight hours, I question Avhether the loss from freezing woidd 

 have been much more serious than the injury that would have resulted 

 from confining the eggs for the same length of time in a trough filled 

 with stagnant water. It is therefore doubtful whether, even in this cold 

 house, there would be any advantage in a tight trough. In a house 

 kept always above 32° F. in temperature, I think a leaky trough would, 

 without doubt, be the safest, and I would advise that pains be taken to 

 provide some small leak, so that in case of stoppage of the water the 

 troughs may be drained and the eggs left exposed to the air. In a cov- 

 ered trough drying would proceed xevy slowly, and the eggs would be 

 in no way harmed by contact with air, so long as they neither froze nor 

 died. Such an occurrence as the clogging of the gates of the dam by 

 ice can only occur when the lake is open, and at the same time a very 

 strong wind accompanies extreme cold, a conjunction of circumstances 

 not likel^i to come about very often. 



3. — The development of the eggs. 



As soon as the lots of eggs successively reached a stage of develop- 

 ment, suitable for the determination between impregnated and non- 

 impregnated, they were subjected to a close scrutiny to determine their 

 condition in this respect. In working upon smaller lots, a sample, num- 

 bering 20, taken at random from the eggs as they lay upon the trays, 

 was placed in a shallow testing-box, perforated with 20 holes. Hplding 

 this up so that a strong light shone up through the bottom, we could 

 see the condition of the eggs with great distinctness. Several trials were 

 made with each lot, not less than 100 eggs being examined in any lot, 

 except in case of some experiments embracing- less than 100 eggs in 



