400 , FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS. 



ameter. She then bends herself down in this hole and presses 

 her abdomen on the gravel, and forces out from 100 to 500 

 spawn, which fall to the bottom of the hole, and down through 

 the upper screen to the lower one. She then passes up the 

 race, and the male trout attending her comes over the nest 

 and spawns, and ejects his milt on the ova ; he then whips the 

 water in the hole with his tail, sending the water and milt in 

 all directions, so that the milt reaches all the spawn on the 

 screen or in the gravel, and, as they are ripe and ready for 

 the milt, impregnates every one of them. As soon as this is 

 done the mother trout returns and covers up the spawn and 

 fills the hole, and soon digs another in like manner, and so on 

 till she has deposited all her ova, which sometimes takes two 

 weeks. 



" There may be from 20 to 50 trout in the race spawning at 

 one time, and all, or nearly all, of the spawn will be found 

 perfectly impregnated and fully matured, so that they will 

 all hatch if taken out every three days or once a week, and 

 placed in hatching-boxes. 



" To take the spawn from the lower screens, first take out 

 two of the upper screens, with what gravel is upon them ; 

 then remove the lower ones, and wash the spawn off into a 

 large pan of water carefully, and replace one set behind you, 

 and then take up one set at a time and place back until all 

 are returned. Should any spawn remain in the gravel, by 

 raising the screen up and down a few times they will drop 

 down through the interstices. The race must be kept well 

 covered during the time of spawning, all persons must be 

 kept away, and the fish disturbed as little as possible. 



" By this method the spawn are all saved, are perfectly ma- 

 tured, are all impregnated, and will all hatch ; the young will 

 be perfect, few or none will die, as their sack-food is complete, 

 and they will be strong and healthy when they commence 

 seeking food for themselves. It is much less work to take 

 the spawn than by handling, and no parent trout are lost." 



As salmon and trout spawn along at intervals of several 



