36 PACKING THE TROUT OVA. 



from one pile becoming mixed with those of another. In the 

 afternoon, so as to allow the best morning light for examining the 

 frames, the eggs are packed in the trays, the time required being 

 one hour for each hundred thousand ova for consignment to any 

 part of the United Kingdom, and double that time for ova to be 

 sent abroad. 



The mode of packing is as follows : Six trays are piled at one 

 corner of the table, which is placed in front of the shelf in the 

 packing-room. An attendant stands between the table and the 

 shelf, and places six frames from one pile on the shelf on the table 

 in line with the trays. She next takes a bundle of damp swan's 

 down, cut into squares, from a pail on her left hand, and lays this 

 over the other corner of the table in the same line. 



A light frame, formed of a narrow packing-tray, with the zinc 

 bottom protected by several squares of cotton flannel stretched 

 and nailed over it, is reversed, and placed in front of the frames, 

 and opposite this the operator stands, a large number of packing- 

 trays, each containing a pad of felted moss, being arranged behind 

 him. The attendant holds a square of swan's down by two con- 

 tiguous corners, the operator grasps the other two corners, and 

 the square, stretched to its full extent, is placed over the top 

 frame. He then reverses the padded tray on the top of the swan's 

 down, and inverts the frame by a rapid turn of the wrists. If this 

 is done properly, every egg leaves the frame and rests on the 

 swan's down in a position exactly corresponding to that it occupied 

 on the frame. 



The frame is lifted and placed on the table to the right of 

 the operator, and he again grasps two corners of the swan's down, 

 the attendant taking the other two. The square is then lifted, 

 tightly stretched between its four corners, and laid in its top tray, 

 when the attendant, releasing the top corners, gets the next square 

 of swan's down ready ; while the operator, leaving his forefingers 

 in contact with the swan's down, grasps the tray by moving his 

 thumbs over the top, and places it on the table on his left. His 

 hands are now in position to grasp the lower corners of the 

 next piece of swan's down, which is held up by the attendant, 



