﻿carried 
  off 
  to 
  be 
  sold 
  at 
  so 
  much 
  per 
  bucket. 
  The 
  ripe 
  

   females 
  were 
  then 
  taken 
  and 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  head, 
  while 
  the 
  

   belly 
  was 
  gently 
  pressed 
  and 
  stroked 
  toward 
  the 
  anus, 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  force 
  out 
  the 
  ripe 
  spawn. 
  Tlie 
  spawn 
  was 
  caught 
  in 
  a 
  

   pan 
  containing 
  quite 
  a 
  little 
  water, 
  and 
  when 
  a 
  sufficient 
  

   quantity 
  had 
  been 
  taken, 
  that 
  is, 
  wlien 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  

   dish 
  was 
  half 
  or 
  two-thirds 
  covered, 
  the 
  ripe 
  males 
  were 
  

   taken, 
  pressed 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner, 
  and 
  the 
  milt 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   flow 
  upon 
  the 
  spawn 
  in 
  the 
  dish. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  males 
  were, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  considerably 
  smaller 
  than 
  

   the 
  females, 
  it 
  required 
  very 
  often 
  two, 
  three 
  or 
  even 
  four 
  

   males 
  to 
  furnish 
  milt 
  to 
  impregnate 
  the 
  spawn 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  

   female. 
  Sometimes, 
  but 
  rarely, 
  the 
  milt 
  from 
  one 
  male 
  

   would 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  impregnate 
  the 
  spawn 
  fi'om 
  one 
  or 
  

   even 
  more 
  females. 
  

  

  Water 
  was 
  then 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  milted 
  spawn, 
  and 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tents 
  were 
  stirred 
  slowly 
  and 
  intimately 
  until 
  thorouglily 
  

   mixed. 
  This 
  stirring 
  was 
  either 
  done 
  by 
  swaying 
  and 
  tipping 
  

   the 
  dish 
  back 
  and 
  forth, 
  or 
  by 
  stirring 
  the 
  spawn 
  with 
  a 
  feather. 
  

   After 
  being 
  thoroughly 
  mixed, 
  the 
  spawn 
  was 
  carefully 
  poured 
  

   upon 
  the 
  trays 
  ready 
  to 
  receive 
  it. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  spawn 
  

   was 
  taken 
  directly 
  upon 
  the 
  prepared 
  trays, 
  the 
  trays 
  being 
  

   placed 
  in 
  water 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  gauze 
  or 
  twig 
  covering 
  would 
  be 
  

   barely 
  wet, 
  or 
  barely 
  covered 
  with 
  water. 
  The 
  milt 
  was 
  

   then 
  received 
  upon 
  the 
  spawn,, 
  more 
  water 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  dish 
  

   and 
  the 
  trays 
  moved 
  about 
  gently 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side, 
  until 
  the 
  

   spawn 
  and 
  milt 
  were 
  thoroughly 
  mixed. 
  The 
  trays 
  were 
  

   then 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  hatching-jars, 
  and 
  deposited 
  therein. 
  

   With 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  methods 
  of 
  receiving 
  the 
  spawn, 
  there 
  

   resulted 
  many 
  dead 
  eggs, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  as 
  many 
  by 
  one 
  

   method 
  as 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  Ripe 
  males 
  were 
  very 
  scarce 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  most 
  

   and 
  ripest 
  females 
  were 
  procured, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  barely 
  possible 
  

   that 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  dead 
  eggs 
  was 
  owing 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  lack 
  

   of 
  milt 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  handling. 
  Shad 
  eggs, 
  which 
  

   are 
  in 
  other 
  respects 
  much 
  more 
  delicate 
  than 
  Smelt 
  eggs, 
  

  

  