120 Thirl, i-sixlh Annual Mcrlimj 



^ciiic. In these streams is al;^ 



of tile wliile Iroiit is usually quite 

 At the sjiiiie time that these changes 

 of color a])|)eai'e(l, ninre I'eiiiarkahle inudilieal idiis were produced 

 in these fisli. hy creatiiii;- ainun^- the several permanent varieties 

 perpetuating thenisehi's hy sidection. Two of these varieties de- 

 serve special mention : 



1st. In the trout whieli has a general reddish e.dor and the 

 lateral hand wi(U' and sti'ongly markt'd, tlie ahdomen is very 

 large on account of the consideral)le size of the digestive tract. 

 This is correlated with the voracity of the tish, which has an 

 insatiahle appetite. In hotli sexes the organs of reproduction 

 occupy much s])ace in the ahdominal cavity, as spawning time 

 approaches. The very voluminous testicles of the males produce 

 an extraordinary quantity of milt; in the females the ovaries 

 yield a great number of eggs, which arc quite large and gener- 

 ally red. 



This variety of the trout is extremely rohust and easy to 

 raise. The fry which are very vigorous, take artificial food 

 readily, eat much, grow rapidly and are little troubled with sick- 

 ness. In a word, the fish presents in the highest degree, qualities 

 which determine the value of the rainbow trout, and Avhich give 

 it, so far as ease of raising goes, a very gi'eat superiority over 

 the common trout of Europe. (Salmo fario). This variety is 

 further distinguished Ijy an interesting particularity: the early 

 date of spawning. When we began to raise. the rainbow trout, 

 the laying of eggs of these fishes generally took place in Feb- 

 ruary and Mar( h, witli very slight variations each year, accord- 

 ing to the tenipi'rature of the atmosphere and that of the water. 

 But as little hy little tliei'c was formed under our eyes the \ariety 

 of "red trout" we saw that tlie (bite of the siiawiiing of thes(^ 

 liighly colored fishes ad\anced in a reniarkalih' manner, tliat is 

 to say, that the laying of tlie eggs took ]>lace more and more 

 early, first in January, tlien at the end of l)eceml)er. then at tin- 

 beginning of Decemhi-r, and linally at tlie end of Xovemliei'. 

 For the last (Ive or six years, certain lislies. ])articulaidy eai'ly, 

 permit us to i)i'actice artificial spawning from the '^Sth of Xo- 

 vemljcr and e\-en from the •idih. 'idiis is, of coui-se, an advan- 



