388 FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS. 



water was poured off, with the exception of sufficient to keep 

 the ova submerged, and fresh supplied in its place. This also 

 was poured off, and fresh substituted previously to removing 

 the impregnated spawn to the boxes prepared for its recep- 

 tion. 



In discharging the ova from the abdomen of the female all 

 violence was carefully avoided. If, on examination, the ova 

 were found to be immature, the fish was immediately return- 

 ed to the river, and others in a more advanced stage taken. 

 When a sufficient quantity of spawn was collected, it was at 

 once removed to the hatching-ground. An amount propor- 

 tioned to the size of the boxes was carefully poured in at the 

 head of each, the action of the water scattering it pretty 

 equally among the crevices of the stones. A temporary in- 

 creased flow of the stream easily distributed it wherever it 

 might happen to be too closely crowded together. Out of 

 24,000 roe deposited in the spawning-boxes, 20,000 were suc- 

 cessfully hatched. 



SALMON. 



As owner of the " Longland Fishery," the opinion of Mr. 

 Gillone is received with much confidence and respect through- 

 out England. " In the first place," he states, " we have one 

 mill-dam hecked at top and bottom." (As the word heck 

 means " an engine or instrument for catching fish," we sup- 

 pose that he means a peculiar net or singularly constructed 

 weir for preventing trout or salmon from passing it, and ren- 

 dering them liable to capture in the attempt.) The upper 

 part of the dain was laid with gravel suitable for salmon or 

 trout to spawn in naturally. There is also a very suitable 

 stream for trout or salmon to deposit their spawn, and, so 

 soon as our fishing season is about to close, we take the num- 

 ber offish required to fill our breeding-boxes with fecundated 

 ova, and put them into the dam, and keep them there until 

 we see them beginning to spawn. (Spawning is sometimes 



