192 THE SEA-TROUT 



inch of water in this case must flow over the eggs. In the latter case, 

 too, the auxihary sprays will now be carefully turned on so that they 

 fall into the centre of the opposite baskets in the box. I have already 

 calculated each frame to hold 2,340 eggs. Taking large and small 

 eggs together the number may well be 2,500 per frame, or a total of 

 10,000 to each hatching box fitted with glass grilles. The number that 

 is contained in the hatching box fitted with baskets will precisely depend 

 upon the number of eggs that the operator thinks he may safely mass 

 in the baskets. 



It may be said at this point that the whole process of netting the 

 fish, stripping the females of their ova, and fertilising the ova with the 

 milt of the male is in principle, and practice also, much the same for 

 salmon, sea-trout, and trout. A female salmon in most books is 

 credited with providing 1,000 eggs for each pound of her weight. This 

 is an over-estimate, but the figure indicates the quantity of ova in round 

 numbers. An average sea-trout or trout provides about 800 eggs for 

 each pound weight of the fish, but I have discussed this matter more 

 particularly in Chapter III. In the operations described there should 

 not be much difficulty encountered, but one must always be prepared 

 for disappointment in the number of fish found ready for stripping, or, 

 indeed, found at all, for there is never any certainty that they will be 

 on the redds where one can most easily capture them, and a sudden 

 rise in the stream may make capture impossible. 



It will give the reader some indication of the number of sea-trout 

 handled per day; the proportion of males to females; the number of 

 each sex utilised ; and the general uncertainty of each day's operations 

 if I subjoin tables showing these facts for the seasons of 1913 and 1914 

 as noted by me at Luss. 



[table 



