BIOLOGICAL 121 



conditions, however, call for cold water, well aerated, 

 with shallow spots with gravel bottom, or feeder 

 creeks containing such places, where the fish can run 

 up to spawn. 



Spawning commences as early as August in the Lake 

 Superior region and from the middle of October to 

 November in mid west and New England waters. 

 The spawning period lasts seven or eight weeks, the 

 fish slowly working up stream, or up into the small 

 tributaries, where the female scoops out a nest and 

 deposits her eggs. The male now a gaily garbed 

 Romeo does his " showing off " for the lady's edi- 

 fication and fertilizes the eggs when they are ejected; 

 then the female covers them with gravel and leaves 

 them. A yearling fish yields only about 200 eggs 

 something to be remembered by the man who is tempted 

 to keep the little ones. 



The hatching period depends on the temperature 

 of the water. The fish culturist prefers water of from 

 45 to 50 degrees F. in which the fish hatch in from 

 45 to 60 days, but in a natural state the hatching 

 usually takes closer to 100 days; sometimes as long 

 as 220 days. 



Growth of the fry is governed somewhat by the 

 amount of available food and the water conditions. 

 Ordinarily a trout weighs an ounce or less during the 

 first year after which the growth is more rapid ; a two 

 year old fish weighs eight to ten ounces and a pound 

 trout is usually three years old. 



In waters that are much fished, especially small 



