How to obtain it. 159 



picking ova. The one that I have found best, and have used for 

 a quarter of a century, is very simple in its construction, and is 

 easily handled after a little practice. It consists merely of thin 

 brass or copper wire twisted into a loop of the proper size to 

 bring out the eggs. It may, if desired, be fixed into a wooden 

 handle. 



It was invented by Mr. Seth Green, the veteran fish culturist 

 of the United States. There are many other useful appliances, 

 most of which I have tried, but have not yet met with any 

 implement that will do better work, or that is so 

 exceedingly simple in its construction. To use it, place 

 the loop under the egg to be withdrawn and lift 

 quickly. Some dexterity is needful, and is easily 

 acquired. As the whole secret of using it lies in the 

 pressure of the water keeping the egg in its place in the 

 wire loop, hence the need for rapid action. A beginner 

 should practise on some lots of newly-fertilized ova or 

 on some which is well " eyed," as a slip or two then 

 will not do any very material damage. 



The other tools used for this purpose are tweezers, 

 pliers, suction tubes, etc., and these are all found very 

 useful by those who prefer them. A tube fitted with an india- 

 rubber bulb does very good work, and one of my pupils won the 

 day at egg-picking with one of these instruments against the wire 

 loop-picker. It is not, however, the man or the tool that can 

 pick the most eggs in a given time, but the one that can pick 

 them without injury to the others. I have seen a clumsy prac 

 titioner getting on very well as to quantity, but doing more harm 

 to the rest of the eggs than any good he was doing by picking out 

 those that required it. Egg-picking would probably be well done 

 by those experts known as the "light-fingered gentry," could they 

 be persuaded to earn an honest livelihood. In my hatchery it has 

 been largely done by girls, and also by men and boys, but to 

 whatever class of workers it is entrusted, they should fully under- 

 stand the need for care and skill in not disturbing the good eggs. 



It is necessary that all white eggs should be picked out, for 

 if left too long in the boxes the fungus grows upon them, which 

 also surrounds the good eggs lying in their immediate neighbour- 



