THE MAKING OF A HIMALAYAN TROUT WATER. 323 



In a Trout Hatchery the eggs are hatched, and the alevins reared 

 behind fine screens of perforated zinc : so far as animal enemies go, they 

 are absolutely safe until they have found their poise in the water, and once 

 a troutlet can swim he swims like lightning, and develops moreover a most 

 extraordinary instinct of self preservation. From this time forward he is 

 safe from frogs and insect pests, and though the older fish or a wandering 

 kingfisher may take an occasional fry, there is no more wholesale destruction. 

 Our breeding stock of 49 fish gave us over 40,000 fish in 1914. Had they 

 spawned in open water and left their eggs to take their chance among their 

 natural enemies, it is fairly safe to say that not more than 400 or 500 of 

 their progeny would have survived to become fry. " Artificial " rearing 

 needs no more defence. Its usefulness in stocking virgin waters or in 

 preventing wastage in waters which are very heavily fished is self-evident. 

 There is nothing "unnatural" in it. It is merely a case of supplementing 

 Nature's methods. 



The Method. — Books cannot teach the method. I am safe in promising 

 that if anyone wants to learn how to breed trout the Punjab Government 

 will gladly teach him in Kulu where he should spend five months from 

 November to March. Briefly the method divides itself into the following 

 processes : — 



(iv) care of alevins. 



(^) Fertilisation. 

 (m) Eyeing, 

 (m) Hatching and 

 eyed ova. 

 (i) Fertilisation. — By 



planting 



(y) Care of fry and planting 

 fry. 



November 18th the females are ready to strip. 

 The eggs are carefully expressed into a moist basin in an - adhesive mass. 

 Milt is meanwhile collected from the male fish into a dry "thermos " flask*, 

 is poured onto the eggs, and well mixed up with them by hand. An inch 

 of water is poured into the pan and kept in circxilar movement to prevent 

 adhesion to the basin. After about 3 minutes the milt is washed ofl^ and 

 the eggs are poured into zinc trays (Fig. ii-a) fastened in a box (Fig. ii-b) 



i" Planking 



Hatching Trsy 



L^ Perforated zinc 



Fif. II (3) 



with a gentle flow of water over them. In 15 to 45 minutes the eggs separate, 

 and are left to "eye". During the ensuing period they are known as 

 "green " eggs and are extremely delicate. Our six years old females still 



* The spermatazoa when mixed with water die within two minuces. If 

 excluded from air and moisture they retain their vitality for six day- at least. 



