210 SEASON 1875-76. 



ponds, the lowest one for males, the next for ripe females, and the 

 highest for later females. The same supply of water can be led 

 through each with safety if the fish are in this order ; in any 

 other the loss from fungus will be heavy. The males do not fight 

 if kept separate from the females. The lowest mill on the river 

 will usually point to the best location for retaining-ponds, and 

 power to purchase should be given the District Board (compul- 

 sorily, at a fair valuation). 



The long pond at Craigeud acting so admirably as a retain- 

 ing-pond, I had no difficulty in spawning the whole of my 

 S.fario. The kelts, to the number of 160, I returned to the dam 

 at Craigend. I spawned the first Loch Leven trout on the 1st 

 November. " Went to Kinross ; got five ripe spawners near the 

 boat-house ; tried the North Queich, but only got one milter. 

 Took a wast set at the South Queich mouth : half a dozen fish, 

 none of them ripe ; I got one spawner at the churchyard also. 

 Got home at 11 o'clock P.M. 8100 ova." It was now evident 

 that, if anything was to be done to re-stock Loch Leven, the fish 

 must be caught and ready for me when I went there. I in- 

 structed the Manager to have a second safe made to ripen the 

 fish. This safe or more properly crate, for it consisted only of 

 wooden slats nailed to framework, answered well. It was weighted 

 so as to float with its top just above the surface of the lake, to 

 ensure the largest amount of space and the greatest amount of 

 aeration of the water. The safe answered fully better than I 

 anticipated. I note under November 12th : " Had a splendid 

 day at Kinross, the fish in the new safe having come on nicely, 

 probably on account of its floating higher in the water. Total, 

 13,580 ova." The old safe floated almost level with the water ; 

 in fact, it was practically an immense cage. On the 17th I 

 spawned at Kinross, for the last time this season, and let what 

 fish remained unripe go, they having been fourteen days in the 

 safe. The other two lots of S. levenensis ova were taken by White, 

 the foreman of the boats at Loch Leven. The determination of 

 the period which elapses between two consecutive spawnings of 

 an individual trout was noted under November 25th : " Spawned 



