Ill 



the belly, you will feel them beneath, hard, like shot. 

 In that case put the fish back into the pond, for the eggs 

 to ripen. When the eggs are ripe, the belly will be soft 

 and flabby, and the eggs beneath the skin feel loose and 

 change their position at the touch. So loose are they, 

 that by holding the fish in a horizontal position, and 

 then moving it up and down, the eggs will change, and 

 fall downwards or upwards as if in a bottle. The opera- 

 tion must be continued until the fish are emptied of eggs 

 and milt. The eggs in the pan may, at intervals, be 

 gently stirred by moving the pan ; this is to change the 

 position of the eggs, so as to be sure that all come in 

 contact with the milt, and when the operation is complet- 

 ed a half-pint of water is poured on them and the pan 

 set in one of the hatching troughs through which the 

 water is running ; this will keep the eggs up to the proper 

 temperature, and prevent a sudden change when they 

 are transferred to the trough. The eggs will now agglut- 

 inate or stick to the pan, and to each other, for a little 

 while. 



In handling the fish, gentleness is essential. A trout, 

 it is well known, may be tickled under the belly, and 

 rather seems to like it, and will lie quiet in your hand 

 while your are doing it. By putting the hand quietly 

 in the water, moving it cautiously around the fish, and 

 gently lifting him he may be raised high and dry, and will 

 lie quietly without a struggle. There is a way of grasp 

 ing a trout firmly, but gently, so that he cannot squirm, 

 and yet not hard enough to break the skin. 



We give a cut of handling a large fish which shows the 

 proper position, except that the fish had to be held too 

 high from the pan in order to get a good photograph of 

 the operation, and that the operator is lett handed. 



