126 A BOOK OF THE RUNNING BROOK: 



provided for by Dame Nature, but the difference 

 in the eggs almost precludes the possibility of 

 their being treated in the same way. " The 

 eggs of coarse fish," says Mr. Marston, "are 

 adhesive, making their manipulation extremely 

 difficult ; so much so, that while ninety-five 

 per cent, of salmon and trout eggs can be 

 hatched out, those who have attempted to treat 

 coarse-fish eggs in the same way have rarely 

 succeeded in rearing even five per cent. The 

 eggs of the coarse fish hatch out in a very short 

 time, a week or ten days being the average 

 time required." 



The almost impossible transportation of the 

 adhesive strings of eggs has, therefore, been 

 another of the great difficulties in coarse-fish 

 breeding j but several intelligent people have 

 successfully combated this difficulty and inven- 

 tion has once more been brought forth by 

 necessity. One very ingenious plan (we forget 

 for the moment the name of its author) is to 

 make a square box like a collector, and to line 

 it throughout with fir-branches. Into this box 

 the fish are introduced when about to spawn, 



