PREPARATION OF YEARLINGS. 79 



where there is nothing to eat before they are placed in the tank, 

 the water will remain sweet and clear for many hours. The 

 principal secret to travel fish successfully is to prepare them 

 properly before despatch. 



Two-year-old trout do not travel well in the conical tanks 

 used for yearlings ; at least not if they are over 7 inches long. 

 They are therefore usually sent in tanks weighing a little over 

 5 cwt., which are built on a rectangular base, the top being 

 brought in as an ogee curve to direct the water into a wedge of 

 perforated zinc to spray the water, in the same manner as the 

 inverted cone described above. These tanks, being very heavy, 

 are placed on small wheels, so that they can be conveniently 

 moved about railway stations, piers, etc. 



The most suitable material for making these tanks is galvanised 

 iron, but as the soldering requires to be done with the aid of 

 spirits of salt, the tanks require to be well steeped before being 

 used. At Howietoun, new tanks are generally ready early in 

 summer, and stand full of water, which is occasionally changed, 

 for three months before being placed in the tank-house. To 

 enable the large tanks for two-year-olds to be easily loaded and 

 unloaded at stations, two pairs of iron lugs are riveted on the 

 sides, in which wooden handles are fitted, thus enabling four 

 men to lift the tank easily. An ordinary lorry carries four large 

 tanks, or ten small ones, and a Scotch farm-cart takes two large 

 tanks, or four small ones. English carts are usually a little 

 smaller than the Scotch, and many will only take one large tank, 

 or three small ones. 



PREPARATION OF YEARLINGS. 



From one to three days before the despatch of any order of 

 yearlings, one of the ponds, Nos. 17-32, is netted with a 

 bag-net made of coarse peach netting, the lower side of the 

 mouth being sewed on to a light chain, so that it takes the 

 bottom and sides of the pond evenly apart ; or the whole 

 pond is drawn, according to the number of fish it contains. It 

 is not found advisable to catch more than 2000 yearlings in one 



