EXPORTATION OF FISHES AND HATCHING APPARATUS. 961 



were conveying delicate children. Fortunately, the sun considerately 

 kept well behiud the clouds, whilst the bright moonlight of the clear, 

 cold nights served us admirably. During these two days and nights, 

 with two meals a day, and very little time for sleep — though what we 

 had was sound enough, as you may fancy — we got through an amount 

 of work which pleased me greatly. Nothing could be finer than the 

 esprit of the whole party. I do not know when I enjoj ed anything more. 

 The enemies we had to fear were wild ducks, shags, and eels. The ap- 

 paratus I had provided to defend our little proteges from their attacks 

 was very simple, and I hope may be effective. It consisted of twelve 

 sets of boxes and covers, boxes three feet long and nine inches broad, 

 with a ledge running round each. The covers were of two boards 

 same length, nailed together, ridge-board fashion, with each end closed 

 by wire netting of half-inch mesh. A keen sportsman like you will not 

 think me tedious if I describe how we made our plants. The streams 

 were high and the water intensely cold. Taking off our boots and coats, 

 rolling up our trousers and shirt-sleeves, Kirkwood made a smooth bot- 

 tom and spread some sand and pebbles in the box, while I prepared 

 the ova, which is like semi-transparent red pease. Scattering the ova 

 among the sand and pebbles in the box, I held it on the bottom of the 

 stream at about two feet deep, to provide against the stream falling and 

 leaving our plant high and dry, which, of course, would have ruined the 

 whole thing. Kirkwood had the cover ready, and placing it firmly on 

 the box, I held it down, while he piled over it heavy bowlders to keep 

 it in position. Both now set to work to make a little breakwater of 

 bowlders and shingle up stream, to defend our little ark from the rapid 

 current, and, scattering a further supply of ova among the shingle to 

 give a double chance to the experiment, the operation was complete. 

 In one stream we had a great fright*. We had just got the ark into posi- 

 tion, I holding it firmly down, while Kirkwood was piling bowlders over 

 it, when he suddenly called out, "Here's a big trout, a regular monster." 

 I could not let go, as the whole thing would have been adrift. "Non- 

 sense," said I; "why, I only put salmon trout into this stream a year 

 ago, and they can't have developed into monsters already." "Look for 

 yourself, then," he roared out, and sure enough there was a monster, but. 

 Instead of a trout, a black, hideous eel, four feet long, rubbing his slippery 

 sides against Bob's naked legs, and \yaitmg,\ike a gobemouche, for our poor 

 little ova. "Seize him, Bob," I shouted; "grab him behind the fins." This 

 he did in a twinkling, but the ugly reptile glided out of his hands, like a 

 slippery eel as he was, and we saw him no more — giving me a proof 

 of the value of the little arks I had provided for the ova. I didn't 

 feel easy about the eel, however, until at night, on relating the circum- 

 stance, Chitty declared his days were numbered, for he would have him 

 next night. I hope he got him. Some of the points we chose were 

 charming. One took my fancy particularly. We had started before 

 breakfast, and after a drive and a tedious tramp on foot, we reached the 

 stream. We had completed our preparations, and in two minutes more 



