PISCICULTURE AND NATURAL HISTORY 101 



fish. At the lower end, near the hatcheries, the river is 

 divided into three other pounds, into which the stock fish 

 are drafted during the breeding season, and others in which 

 certain drafts of fish are kept prior to being dispatched to 

 their final destination in some other water. 



On the lower side of the home pound and between it and 

 the main river, are situated innumerable small canals, 

 carefully screened, into which the river water is directed, 

 and in these the varying classes of fry of the brown and 

 rainbow trout are reared. It is, of course, in these lower 

 breeding ditches that there is the problematical danger 

 of flooding, but floods are practically unknown in this 

 portion of the Itchen, owing to the rapid flow of its waters 

 and the vicinity of its source. 



THE ITCHEN AS A TROUT STREAM. 



The happy reminiscences associated with this delightful 

 pastime, as well as the sporting character of this portion of 

 the Itchen, will be realized by the following letter written 

 to me by the former owner of this fishing. 



" February 26th, 1912. 

 " DEAR SHAW, 



' Your handwriting reminds me of what, alas ! 

 are now ' old times ' of times that for me can never 

 return now, for my rod is laid aside for good, and all 

 the fishing I now do is in dreams. 



" I recall the first day on which you fished my 

 water it seems to me but yesterday though more 

 years have passed than I like to think of since that 

 hot summer day, when I met you at the station and 

 hastened, as we walked across the fields, to assure you 

 that sport could be but small on so bright a day, and 

 with such low and bright water as we then had. 

 How well I remember your confident rejoinder 

 that you would catch some fish notwithstanding 



