Adhesive Eggs. 243 



a high degree of fatness, and also to make their flesh of 

 finer flavor, the Englishman, Tull, has discovered and 

 recommended castration. This operation can be per- 

 formed on the male as well as on the female. The best 

 time for the operation is after they have spawned, while 

 they are soft and feeble, for then the painful effects afe 

 not so lasting.' ' : 



There was more of this, but no detail, and I Wfoti 

 Count Max von dem Borne, a well known German fish- 

 culturist, and here is his reply: 



"Berneuchen, March 9, 1881. 



"My Dear Sir: I have your letter of March I, and 

 will try to collect something relating to the castration 

 of carp, which is entirely unknown to me. Therefore I 

 have written to Mr. W. Horak, late Director of the 

 large carp ponds of the Prince Schwarzenberg, at 

 Wittingen, and the author of the best book on carp 

 breeding. I hope he will give us all ever known on the 

 subject." 



This was all I ever heard of the matter, until the late 

 Prof. Spencer F. Baird wrote me, under date of May 

 20, 1886: "Mr. Hessel informs me that the Bretaigne 

 carp is the caponized ordinary carp, requiring of course 

 a special process to produce this result, * * *" 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



THE ALEWIVES. 



These are near relatives of the shad, but having glu- 

 tinous eggs are widely separated in this book. They 



