BREEDERS. 87 



Salmo quinnat, runs up the Sacramento river in great numbers ; 

 and in the McCloud river, a tributary of the Sacramento, the eggs 

 are procured by erecting a dam across the river and netting the fish 

 in the pool below, and in this way very large numbers are obtained. 

 But even under these favourable circumstances the cost is very 

 great. Sir Samuel Wilson, after quoting a report, dated April 

 5th, 1875, addressed to the Hon. Spencer Baird by Mr. Living- 

 ston Stone, containing a description of the mode of obtaining 

 salmon eggs in the McLeod river, says : "In the season when this 

 report of Mr. Stone was written (1874), the total number of 

 salmon (0. quinnat) eggs taken in this river by him was 5,752,500, 

 at a cost of 7s. per 1000." : What the cost of these eggs would 

 have been if properly hatched, instead of imperfectly developed, I 

 leave the reader to judge. 



The original stock of breeding-fish at Howietoun was raised 

 from eggs taken at Loch Leven in the autumn of 1874 ; and in 

 1875, in addition to a further supply of eggs taken at Loch 

 Leven, a batch of burn-trout (S. fario) ova were laid down, the 

 produce of the small trout caught in the burns on Sauchie Muir. 

 As the fish grew older the size of their eggs increased, and the fry 

 from these ova were bigger and stronger each season, till at last 

 it became apparent that the ova of old trout were much the most 

 valuable. A new generation of breeders are now springing up. 

 They have been carefully selected from the eggs of the largest 

 and best trout spawned 1882 and 1884. It is too early yet to 

 ascertain whether their ova will be larger and finer than that of 

 their ancestors when at the same age ; but if rapid growth, rude 

 health, and early maturity form any basis for prognostication, it 

 will be so. 



In February the best pond of yearlings is selected. No. 9 

 pond is emptied, cleaned, and prepared for their reception. After 

 it had been refilled for a few days, 5000 are placed in it, and care- 

 fully and regularly fed on horse-flesh for one year. The following 

 January they are transferred to one of ponds 10, 11, 12, or 13, 



1 Salmon at the Antipodes: Being an Account of the Successful Introduction of Salmon 

 and Trout into Australian Waters, by .Sir Samuel Wilson, chap. x. 



