HOWIETOUN HATCHING- HOUSE. 219 



deep, occurred in the centre of the floor. I knew of this hole, 

 and thought it was a nice trap, so I told the foreman navvy not 

 to fill it up till the rough stones which were to form the bottom 

 of the floor were to be put in. In a few days a very particular 

 friend came to shoot with me, and I took him to see the new 

 hatching-house, which was then just ready for its floor. Unfor- 

 tunately, I forgot all about the ochre hole, and stepped most 

 carelessly into it. The navvies never forgot the joke ; and as 

 yellow ochre is very tenacious, I had literally to be hauled out. 

 Practical jokes are not necessarily fish-culture. 



The drains were arranged in three lines across the house. 

 Into the northmost drain a tap discharged from the 3 -inch lead 

 pipe, thus enabling the pipe itself and the H -spout to be run dry 

 or flushed at pleasure. In all piscicultural operations the drainage 

 is as important as the supply. 



The hatching-house was built by driving posts into the sub- 

 soil, and binding them together by a tie running all round at the 

 proper height to receive the ends of the hatching-boxes. A door- 

 way was formed in the east side, with steps down to the level of 

 the floor. Light was admitted by two windows, one in each end ; 

 and over the one in the north end a seat under the roof was 

 formed, open to the outside, from which the habits of the fish 

 in the 60-feet pond could be studied. The roof was of wood, over- 

 lapping, and, though unprotected, has lasted in good condition 

 for ten years. It is now, however, showing signs of decay. 

 Opposite is a plan of the hatching-house (Fig. 151). 



The 60-feet pond having proved a success, I surveyed the 

 ground, and laid off three other ponds on a similar plan, only 

 longer, some distance below. But before commencing them, I 

 ordered the head forester to erect a fence round the ponds and 

 house already completed. This fence consisted of larch posts sunk 

 deep into the ground, about 5 feet apart, with a top and bottom 

 rail, also of larch, and larch spars nailed on so near together that 

 no one could place a foot on the rails to climb the fence ; the spars 

 terminated in a sharp iron spike, so that any attempt to cross was 

 attended with great danger. This fence has since been continued 



