TROUT-BREEDING IN WINTER 195 



are protruding. Replace the egg in the water 

 very gently, and watch the operation of hatching. 

 With two or three frantic struggles the shell splits 

 open, and the captive is free. See how he exults 

 in this new found world and freedom ! Up to the 

 surface he wriggles ; and after splashing there- 

 abouts some little time his strength is exhausted, 

 and he falls prone on his side beside some shelter- 

 ing stone. 



Should the struggler have difficulty in separat- 

 ing from the shell, take your feather and gently 

 aid nature in her work. Not infrequently are 

 there cases of strangulation owing to difficulty in 

 this process. The hatching will now go on with- 

 out intermission till all will have emerged. After 

 you know the hatching has begun, it is as well 

 to keep the fish in darkness. Of course you can, 

 if you wish, take a few of the eggs likely to 

 break through, into the drawing-room in a dish 

 with plenty of water, that such friends as you 

 may have present may see the wonderful sight. 

 This change will do the fish little harm, provid- 

 ing they are returned to the hatching-trough in 

 a reasonable time. There is no more beautiful 

 study in the world than one of the newly hatched 



