130 SALMON FISHERY. 



even fhould the young ones be already formed. I 

 have been allured of it by feveral experiments, 

 and this is the reafon, why they have received from 

 nature the inftinft of depofiting their eggs on the 

 gravel of ftreams, in places, where the running 

 water keeps them conftantly clean. 



29. Trout, in ponds, do indeed depofit their 

 eggs and milt in them, in the proper feafon. Thefe 

 eggs inevitably fall upon mud or earth ; but, if 

 there happens to be a gravelly, rocky, or fandy 

 bottom, it is there that the trout fpawns, and by 

 moving itfelf, it works as hard as it can to cleanfe 

 its eggs : but, the mod it can do is to keep them 

 clean for about eight days. It is a certain fact, 

 that whatever remains conftantly in water, let the 

 water be ever fo clean, contracts fome dirt from 

 day to day. It is impoffible to keep trout's eggs 

 in it for the fpace of ten weeks, without their be- 

 coming dirty. On this account, the fpawn of trouts 

 never turns out well in ponds, unlefs in places 

 where there is a gravelly bottom, and where there 

 are fprings, or ftreams of running water. 



30. However, fometimes young fry of trouts 

 are found in ponds, and people think they were 

 produced there. But, in fuch cafes they will find, 

 that near the pond, there is fome fpring or ftream 

 with a gravelly bottom. The trouts afcend, in 

 December and January, from the ponds into thefe 

 ftreams, for the purpofc of dropping their eggs 



and 



