908 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVII. 



is to put out yearlings instead of three months old fry. It is argued that year- 

 lings are the youngest trout which can escape being devoured by their elder 

 brethren in the rivers. If fry are turned into the rivers, the probable conse- 

 quence is that 99 out of every hundred will go down the throats of the larger 

 fish (Badminton). But the Kashmir method presents certain advantages and 

 saves so much trouble and expense that it will be sparingly adopted in future 

 in tributary streams in addition to the local plan of rearing yearlings artificially. 

 Generally speaking, however, it will not pay to diminish the supply of food 

 brought in by tributary streams. Stocking them with fish wiU have this 

 effect. 



For the benefit of those who came after, Mr. Mitchell's method of planting 

 eyed ova in natural nurseries will be given in detail : — The eyed ova are packed 

 in boxes on trays protected by moss, the upper tray and the sides of the box 

 containing ice. After being carried out to the springs or streams — those flowing 

 into the lower Pykara where there is little or no natural reproduction being suit- 

 able — they are transferred into Pahari boxes, about 2,000 to a box. A lid to 

 exclude the light is placed on each box and the ova are left to hatch out. A 

 sketch of Mr. Mitchell's ' Pahari ' hatching box was given on page 324 of Vol. 

 24 of this Society's Journal. (" The Making of a Himalayan Trout Water" by 

 G. C. L. Howell, F.Z.S.) 



Both in the artificial and the natural hatcheries, men must be employed to 

 pick over the eggs daily and remove all dead eggs and dead alevins. The natural 

 hatchery must abound in natural food which will generally be the case when it is 

 situated in a wood and reproduces the conditions prevailing in the stream at 

 the Avalanche hatchery. 



The alevins at Avalanche are transferred to one or other of the four hatching 

 boxes which has not hitherto been used and are left to develop into fry. 

 They are not fed as they live on the contents of their own umbilical sacs. 



The fry before being removed from the hatching boxes are given minute 

 quantities of boiled crabs' meat which has been forced through a perforated 

 spoon. The mortality is relatively small. They are transferred as soon as 

 possible to the fry ponds where they receive boiled and pounded sheep's liver 

 three times a day. 



When a year or 18 months old, they are planted out in the upper waters of the 

 streams which it is intended to stock. The most convenient months are Febru- 

 ary and March as by that time most of the big fish which have spawned have 

 moved down to the lower waters. 



The food allowance for approximately 2,400 fish, mostly fry, is 15 lbs. of liver 

 and 5 lbs. of Spratt's puppy biscuit a week, or 2 lbs. a day of liver and f lbs. 

 of puppy biscuit. The latter is only given to large stock fish and is always 

 mixed with liver. The biscuit is first soaked in water in which the liver is 

 mixed with powdered rock salt. 



It may be argued that at present prices, the cost of puppy biscuit and liver 

 is prohibitive. Whilst it may be possible to support a few stock fish, it is im- 

 possible to fatten fish for the Ootacamund market unless a cheaper dietary is 

 introduced. It must be admitted that there is much force in the objection. 

 Fish refuse from which the oil has been expressed is available at Calicut. Ex- 

 periments will shortly be conducted with this. 



Sir Frederick Nicholson states that in Germany undersized haddocks, which 

 it is illegal to place on the market, are ground up, bone and all, into a fine meal, 

 dessicated, and given to trout. 

 The flesh of the herring after the oil has been expressed is given to carp. 

 Another field for experiment is the house fly. It produces millions of maggots 

 and the problem is how to make them available as trout food. The experiments 

 of Major Patton, I.M.S., suggest a method and it is hoped that the problem will 

 be solved before long. But the Nilgiris are not a suitable field for experiment, as 



