EXPERIMENT WITH EGGS. 29 



with an impromptu net, made of an old soda- 

 water bottle wire and a bit of netting, such 

 as is used by ladies. I cannot understand 

 how the trout manages to get her eggs so deep 

 in the sand. They certainly sink in the 

 water ; but one would fancy the current would 

 whip them away in a moment. Again, how 



is it that thev are not often crushed 1 I have 



tj 



stated above their coats are very elastic ; but 

 I had no idea they were so tough. In order 

 to ascertain positively how much direct 

 weight they would bear, in the presence of 

 my brother officers, I tried experiments on 

 the eggs by placing iron stamped weights on 

 individual eggs. I was astonished to find that 

 they were not crushed till I had placed no 

 less than five pounds six ounces on them. 

 As regards the mode of action and the 



