Aaty 
NINTH ANNUAL MEETING. 5 
and those that survived had the skin torn off so that the flesh 
was laid bare in many places. I subjected all the injured ones 
to a strong salt and water bath daily for some time, and succeed- 
in saving most of them. We have never before saved any other 
kind of fish that was injured half as badly. The scars can now 
be plainly seen upon them. Their spawn in size is between that 
of the brook-trout and salmon-trout, and hatches in Caledonia 
Spring creek water in about fifty days. The young are vigor- 
ous from the start, and by exercising good care and feeding 
them regularly, there is no difficulty in raising them. 
Last season we procured from J. B. Campbell, McCloud 
river, Shasta county, Cal., Baird P. O., 7,000 McCloud river trout- 
spawn, 2,000 of which were dead on arrival. We have now on 
hand 4,742 yearlings in fine condition; they are equally as easy 
a fish to raise as the California mountain-trout, and resemble 
them closely in appearance. 
This season we procured from k. Burgess & Sons, Benning- 
ton, Vt., 100,000 brook-trout spawn, for the purpose of mixing 
them with the brook-trout at the New York State Hatchery. My 
object in so doing is to see if the breed cannot be improved by 
.putting trout together that have no relation to each other, as we 
know that constant inter-breeding of animals makes them in- 
ferior both in size arfd intellect. 
I am anxious to improve fish in both these respects ; and as | 
contend that fish have reasoning powers, I do not see why they 
cannot be improved upon on the point of intellect. If we can 
breed a trout that has sense enough to avoid the nets of the 
poachers on Long Island, 1am under the impression that some 
clubs that I know ,of would be willing to give somebody a 
chromo. 
We have been distributing fresh-water shrimp and other in-- 
sects from Caledonia creek to many waters. There is no better 
food for trout than the fresh-water shrimp in which Caledonia 
creek abounds. They resemble the salt-water shrimp in shape, 
and grow to about three-fourths of an inch in length; they are 
great feeders; they carry their spawn under their tails, and hatch 
them in the same way that the lobster does. They impart a 
flavor to trout such as no other food gives. , 
