ii2 BRITISH SPORTING FISHES. 



water fish is inexpensive and easy under anything 

 like favourable conditions. The larger and more 

 wealthy fishing associations adopt this method of 

 stocking or restocking their waters ; a method 

 which has the great advantage that fish can be 

 hatched in very great numbers, suitable to large 

 areas. The process of hatching is long, and we 

 cannot here speak of it. The eggs hatch into 

 avelins, which, as soon as they begin to feed, are 

 termed fry. The nutrition of the avelin is gained 

 from the yolk-sac, which still attaches to it. Prior 

 to the total absorption of this the immature 

 fish are stationary, and do not absorb oxygen or 

 to such a small extent that they cannot die 'of 

 oxygen starvation. If turned down into streams 

 with pebbly shallows, they sink into the sheltering 

 gravel ; and when the process of absorption is 

 completed, they begin life as fry. The charac- 

 teristics of the avelin, which we have pointed out, 

 make it easy and safe of transport. 



Fry and yearling fish are most used for the 

 purposes of restocking. The former are lively 

 little things, about an inch long, and if turned out 

 under anything like favourable conditions soon 

 begin to fare for themselves. If fairly acclima- 

 tised, they may be turned into the streams after 

 they have been feeding for about a couple of 

 months. In doing this they should be handled 



