REARING 159 



many and serious. It was impossible to ensure 

 cleanliness, or to keep the ova under close observa- 

 tion, or to remove dead eggs without disturbance. 

 These and many other drawbacks have led to the 

 total disappearance of gravel from modern hatching- 

 boxes. It is of no use flogging a dead horse ; and 

 it would be an ungrateful task, with the help of 

 knowledge derived from later experience, to examine 

 and dispose of the arguments by which those 

 honoured pioneers and champions of fish culture, 

 Frank Buckland and Francis Francis, used to defend 

 with so much vigour the practice of incubating trout 

 eggs in boiled gravel. 



The glass grille system introduced by Monsieur 

 Coste, to which I have before referred, has many 

 able and experienced advocates who can point to 

 results equal perhaps to those obtained by the use of 

 any other system. Grilles are, however, undoubtedly 

 more expensive than trays ; and the modification of 

 the deep-tray system which i have described and 

 recommended has, I think, distinct advantages on 

 the ground of simplicity of construction, and the 

 entire absence of difficulty in being worked even by a 

 beginner. 



The sides of the tray, standing as they do high 

 and dry out of the water, afford a most convenient 



