THE SPAWNING RACE. 65 



opened, and the fishes ascended to B, the bottom 

 of which was covered with clean, bright gravel. 

 When the season was over the fishes were driven 

 back to A, and the gate being closed, the spawn 

 were allowed to hatch without disturbance. Being 

 closely watched, all danger from aquatic birds was 

 avoided, and thus two enemies of the spawn were 

 removed, beside the young were protected for one 

 year at least from the adults, whose love for their 

 young has been previously noted. An improve- 

 ment on this was suggested by an ingenious gentle- 

 man (or rather, if all are to be believed, several 

 gentlemen, for, like " Beautiful Snow," the inven- 

 tion is claimed by more than one). A wire 

 screen covered with gravel, arranged parallel with 

 the bottom of the race, would allow the trout to 

 deposit and naturally impregnate their spawn, 

 which would then fall through the interstices of 

 the wire gauze, of which the screen was composed, 

 and thus at once be out of harm's way. This 

 method has been found to succeed well ; but the 

 spawn are still exposed to the dangers beneath. 

 Where the eggs can pass, the larva of insects can 

 pass, and the ravages of the byssus can neither be 

 detected nor prevented. 



Thus far the process of both impregnation and 

 incubation had been left to nature. That in the 

 former she succeeded well there can be no doubt, 



