CONCERNING SMALL FRY. 8r 



on to where they are thrown down. They attach 

 themselves to the interstices of the sand and 

 gravel, and probably hatch in a very few days. 

 So small are the eggs that they would be difficult 

 to detect, were it not that they are thrown down 

 in masses masses as large as a horse-chestnut. 

 All the creatures of the waterside assemble at the 

 minnows' spawning ground ; and where possible 

 the pink ought to be protected. They tend to 

 keep the water clean and pure, and themselves 

 afford the most valuable food for salmon and 

 trout, either in a wild or semi-wild state. Not 

 only do minnows hatch out rapidly, but grow 

 rapidly, and by the end of their first summer 

 they attain to an inch in length. To-day we 

 scooped up a dozen minnows in our landing-net 

 from a quiet backwater, and find that they are 

 done in all the glory of spring colouring. Rose 

 and purple flash along their sides, and it is this hue 

 that gives it the pretty, provincial name of pink. 

 Here is an interesting anecdote anent this 

 species. In crossing a foot-bridge, a gentleman saw 

 in the water what he thought to be a flower. Ob- 

 serving it more attentively, it was seen to consist 

 of a circular assemblage of minnows. Their heads 

 met in the centre, their tails diverging at equal 

 distances, and the latter, being elevated above 

 their heads, gave them the appearance of a flower 



