Other Sahnonidce. 187 



washtubs on each side, in some of which are placed a 

 number of female fish, in others the ripe males ; other 

 tubs being used for fish of both sexes not yet ready for 

 spawning, which are culled out by the spawn taker as 

 he proceeds. Two or more assistants, equipped with 

 long-handler scapnets, then begin to take the ripe fish 

 from the crates, and the stripper begins operations. 

 With a large number of fish two or more strippers are 

 working at the same time ; the entire time of one assist- 

 ant is occupied in looking after the eggs when stripped. 

 The eggs of several females and the milt from several 

 males are stripped into the pan until a sufficient number 

 of eggs are taken, when it is set aside, the eggs are 

 washed up, and an attendant adds water from time to 

 time as required and as the space between the envelop- 

 ing membranes fills with water. The eggs are then 

 allowed to stand until removed to the hatchery, which 

 is done once a day, the eggs being placed in ordinary 

 milk cans containing from twenty to forty quarts, ac- 

 cording to the distance they are carried. On arriving 

 at the hatchery the eggs are carefully measured, be- 

 tween three and four quarts of green eggs being put in 

 each jar, where they are kept automatically in motion by 

 the water which passes through the jar until hatched. 

 After the percentage of poor eggs has worked off eggs 

 are added to the jars, each jar finally carrying four 

 quarts. 



The hatching period covers from 120 to 170 days, 

 varying according to the temperature of the water and 

 the air during the hatching season. During the first 

 three or four weeks the percentage of unfertilized eggs, 

 being of lighter specific gravity, rise to the top of the jar 

 and are taken off with a rubber tube, about a quarter 

 of an inch inside diameter, used as a siphon. The jars 



