86 
to go without food for a considerable length of time. It 
has frequently happened in the past, and will I fear fre- 
quently happen in the future, that a plant of fry has been 
dumped ina stream at some point instead of being prop- 
erly scattered in the smaller streams. Two of the best 
writers on trout-culture have hinted at the danger of this. 
In the ‘‘ History of Howietoun,”’ this significant passage 
occurs (page 69): ‘‘It must never be forgotten that fry of 
salmon and trout do not roam in search of food, but take 
up fixed positions, and snatch at particles carried past by 
the current; and they do not forage like yearlings until 
they are three or four months old. Many of the failures 
in fishculture are attributable to this habit being over- 
looked, although as early as 1873 it was noted by Living- 
ston Stone, who says (‘‘ Domesticated Trout,’’ page 171): 
‘*‘As they continue to grow, they increase their range, and 
by the first of September or a little later, they take their 
food like old trout.’? Now, what are the consequences of 
these fry thus taking up a fixedabode for several months ? 
Unless the number be small or the food be unusually 
abundant, some of those which escape the thousand and 
one dangers of the fry stage will be stunted and never at- 
tain any size. But of the vast majority, what? They 
simply go to join the vast majority on the other side of 
trout life. Listen for a moment to a partial list of the de- 
structive agencies which are waiting, watching and search- 
ing for them. But no, I won’t inflict you. Their name is 
legion. You all know some of them, but none of us know 
them all. During the past four years we killed at Neosho 
Station 530 predatory birds, 239 piscivorous snakes, 2,500 
lbs. of crayfish, besides very many other enemies. We try 
to exemplify the motto that ‘ Eternal vigilance is the 
price of fish.’”’ And yet we lose young carp, tench, bass 
and other pond fish. Lose by the hundreds, yes, thou- 
sands. Not from disease or inherent weakness, but by 
enemies so insidious, so persistent, so minute, so numer- 
