﻿47 
  

  

  will 
  boar 
  much 
  more 
  liancUing 
  than 
  the 
  Smelt 
  eggs 
  received 
  

   at 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Hamlin 
  by 
  either 
  method 
  nsed. 
  It 
  was 
  

   undoubtedly 
  not 
  the 
  roughness 
  of 
  handling 
  which 
  occasioned 
  

   loss. 
  Another 
  method 
  of 
  taking 
  spawn 
  was 
  adopted. 
  A 
  

   number 
  of 
  large, 
  unripe 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  Smelts 
  were 
  taken 
  

   from 
  the 
  seines, 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  hatching 
  house, 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  

   the 
  supply 
  reservoir 
  until 
  they 
  became 
  ripe. 
  The 
  spawn 
  

   was 
  then 
  taken, 
  impregnated, 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  jars 
  along 
  

   with 
  the 
  rest. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  room, 
  no 
  record 
  

   could 
  be 
  kept 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  percentage 
  of 
  loss 
  between 
  eggs 
  

   thus 
  taken 
  and 
  eggs 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  fish 
  freshly 
  caught. 
  By 
  

   examining 
  the 
  temperature 
  and 
  fish 
  record 
  upon 
  another 
  page, 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  spawn 
  was 
  taken 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  hatch- 
  

   ing-jars 
  upon 
  15 
  different 
  days^ 
  extending 
  over 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  

   than 
  one 
  month, 
  or 
  more 
  correctly, 
  from 
  March 
  3d 
  until 
  

   April 
  2d. 
  The 
  whole 
  number 
  of 
  ripe 
  fish 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   poses 
  of 
  procuring 
  spawn 
  and 
  milt 
  being 
  87 
  males 
  and 
  G9 
  

   females. 
  This 
  irregular 
  catch 
  was 
  due 
  in 
  great 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  

   almost 
  constant 
  recurrence 
  of 
  freshets, 
  and 
  consequently, 
  

   risings 
  and 
  floodings 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  

   these 
  freshets, 
  a 
  very 
  severe 
  one, 
  produced 
  by 
  a 
  long 
  and 
  

   steady 
  rain-storm, 
  only 
  one 
  catch 
  was 
  made 
  from 
  Friday, 
  

   March 
  18th 
  until 
  Friday, 
  March 
  23d, 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  one 
  week. 
  

   The 
  ripe 
  fish 
  taken 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  this 
  freshet 
  were 
  largely 
  

   males. 
  They 
  were 
  fairlv 
  ripe, 
  and 
  produced 
  much 
  more 
  

   milt 
  than 
  those 
  taken 
  subsequently. 
  The 
  females, 
  on 
  the 
  

   contrary, 
  were 
  barely 
  ripe, 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   spawn 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  could 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  eacli. 
  After 
  the 
  freshet, 
  the 
  females 
  began 
  to 
  

   increase 
  in 
  number, 
  Friday, 
  the 
  23d 
  of 
  March, 
  the 
  largest 
  

   catch 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  being 
  made, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  riper 
  than 
  

   those 
  previously 
  taken. 
  From 
  this 
  time 
  on, 
  the 
  females 
  

   w^re 
  taken 
  in 
  fine 
  condition 
  until 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  fishing. 
  But 
  

   the 
  males 
  were 
  now 
  so 
  few 
  in 
  number, 
  and 
  the 
  milt 
  was 
  so 
  

   bad, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  with 
  extreme 
  difficulty 
  that 
  the 
  spawn 
  could 
  

   i,\t 
  timers 
  b& 
  satisfactorily 
  impvet^natcd. 
  It 
  is 
  (juite 
  diiJplci^U 
  

  

  