﻿276 
  Transactions,-~-Zuology, 
  

  

  and 
  were 
  apiDarently 
  in 
  good 
  enough 
  health. 
  In 
  December, 
  1875, 
  I 
  killed 
  

   one 
  of 
  these 
  which, 
  though 
  about 
  24 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  only 
  weighed 
  4Tbs. 
  

   It 
  ought 
  if 
  m 
  good 
  condition 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  7 
  ibs. 
  Several 
  other 
  similar 
  

   or 
  worse-conditioned 
  trout 
  have 
  since 
  then 
  been 
  taken. 
  But 
  the 
  worst 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  was 
  caught 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  this 
  year, 
  in 
  a 
  feeder 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lee, 
  the 
  Broad 
  Creek, 
  which 
  surpassed 
  all 
  others 
  in 
  its 
  poverty. 
  It 
  was 
  

   about 
  twenty 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  weighed 
  only 
  lib. 
  or 
  thereby. 
  There 
  was 
  

   really 
  no 
  substance 
  on 
  its 
  body, 
  it 
  was 
  literally 
  a 
  skeleton. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   account 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  phenomenon, 
  particularly 
  when 
  equally 
  large 
  trout 
  have 
  

   been 
  killed 
  in 
  the 
  Lee, 
  which 
  were 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition. 
  

  

  2, 
  Habits 
  of 
  the 
  Trout. 
  

   In 
  dealing 
  with 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  my 
  subject, 
  I 
  propose 
  to 
  offer 
  a 
  few 
  remarks 
  

   under 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  Spawning 
  Season, 
  Differences 
  of 
  External 
  Appearance, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Habits 
  of 
  our 
  Trout 
  as 
  observed 
  during 
  the 
  open 
  season. 
  

  

  Spawning 
  Season. 
  — 
  From 
  actual 
  observations, 
  trout 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  

   spawned 
  in 
  the 
  several 
  streams 
  named 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Shag 
  Kiver 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  from 
  June 
  20tli 
  to 
  July 
  31st 
  

  

  „ 
  June 
  30th 
  „ 
  Aug. 
  4th 
  

   ,, 
  June 
  loth 
  „ 
  July 
  25th 
  

   ,, 
  June 
  6th 
  ,, 
  July 
  31st 
  

   during 
  July, 
  &c. 
  

   McGregor's 
  saw 
  trout 
  engaged, 
  as 
  he 
  

   thought, 
  spawning 
  from 
  June 
  20th 
  to 
  July 
  20th." 
  As 
  regards 
  Southland, 
  

   propagation 
  of 
  trout 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  there 
  solely 
  with 
  fish 
  kept 
  

   constantly 
  confined 
  to 
  small 
  ponds 
  at 
  Wallacetown 
  by 
  or 
  under 
  charge 
  

   of 
  Mr. 
  Howard. 
  This 
  , 
  gentleman's 
  experience 
  of 
  this 
  method 
  has 
  proved 
  

   it 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  mistake. 
  Spawning 
  is 
  late 
  and 
  prolonged 
  and 
  the 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  fish 
  do 
  not 
  thrive. 
  He 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  lived 
  well 
  enough 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  year, 
  but 
  were 
  Hable 
  to 
  attacks 
  of 
  fungus, 
  which 
  killed 
  them 
  in 
  

   fourteen 
  days. 
  This 
  fungus 
  he 
  cured 
  repeatedly 
  by 
  washing 
  or 
  dipping 
  

   the 
  fish 
  in 
  salt 
  water 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  invariably 
  returned, 
  and 
  eventually 
  the 
  

   trout 
  succumbed. 
  With 
  us, 
  Mr. 
  Deans 
  has 
  followed 
  a 
  more 
  natural 
  

   plan, 
  that 
  of 
  catching 
  the 
  fish 
  when 
  ripe, 
  stripping 
  the 
  females 
  of 
  their 
  ova, 
  

   and 
  impregnating 
  these 
  with 
  the 
  milt 
  of 
  .the 
  male. 
  The 
  milt 
  of 
  young 
  or 
  

   mature 
  males 
  does 
  equally 
  well, 
  and 
  one 
  male 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  fructify 
  the 
  

   ova 
  of 
  several 
  females. 
  The 
  trout 
  in 
  the 
  Leith 
  will 
  average 
  800 
  ova 
  to 
  

   the 
  lb. 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  itself. 
  A 
  female 
  Jib. 
  weight 
  has 
  yielded 
  about 
  

   400, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  caught, 
  being 
  a 
  healthy 
  fish 
  of 
  about 
  7lb3., 
  gave 
  

   close 
  on 
  GOOO 
  ova. 
  In 
  our 
  breeding 
  boxes 
  at 
  Opoho, 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  ova 
  take 
  to 
  hatch 
  to 
  be 
  78 
  days 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  modified 
  to 
  some 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  period 
  is 
  later 
  than 
  the 
  corresponding 
  time 
  at 
  home, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  October 
  and 
  

   November, 
  by 
  about 
  six 
  ■weeks. 
  

  

  Water 
  of 
  Leith 
  

   Lee 
  Stream 
  

   Lovell's 
  Creek 
  

   Fulton's 
  Creek 
  

   In 
  Silver 
  stream, 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  Mr 
  

  

  