78 PRACTICAL TROUT CULTURE. 



there found ; the other, the tail, behind the vent. 

 In front of the former, pressure is made upon the 

 gills, the organs of respiration, the most delicate 

 portion of the fish's system, while compression 

 anterior to the vent may cause rupture of the air- 

 bladder or other viscera, which would of course 

 result in death. We have examined numbers of 

 fishes which have died after having been improp- 

 erly handled, and death has been found invariably 

 to have arisen from one or the other of these 

 causes. The race should have a fall of at least six 

 inches in twenty feet; and by placing a bag or 

 clap-net at the lower end, and shutting off the 

 water at the upper, the water will run off, and to 

 avoid being left high and dry the fishes will rush 

 down stream and be taken in the net. During the 

 past season another plan has been adopted at 

 Troutdale. A hole some two feet in diameter and 

 eight inches in depth was dug at the lower end of 

 the race, into which the trout rush on the stoppage 

 of the water by means of the gate. The object of 

 this is that in case a large number of fishes should 

 be in the race they need not all be at once removed, 

 but are taken from the hole as wanted with a 

 Bcoop-net. From the net they are transferred to 

 broad, shallow tubs such as are used for bathing 

 infants answer well ; two of these are required, as 

 the separation of the males and females facilitates 



