20 ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION 



following reason, namely: If the ova, or eggs, are 

 impregnated previous to their development, why 

 is it that the spermatic fluid is so abundant in 

 the male just at the time of spawning, and not 

 at any other? At any other period than that of 

 spawning, this secretion is so limited that it can 

 be extracted only with great dificulty, even by 

 very hard pressure. In a series of experiments 

 with trout conducted last fall, by myself, I failed 

 to impregnate well developed eggs, which I knew 

 were mature, by using a premature male. 



The above cut will convey a sufficiently correct 

 idea of the manner of extracting both the eggs, and 

 spermatic fluid from the living fish. 



