310 peesident's address. 



1892) in process of incubation, consisting of some excellent 

 breeds of trout {S. fario), Loch. Leven trout {S. levenensis), and 

 American trout or char (S. fontinalis), and in addition to these 

 the first sea trout (S. trutta) eggs of the season have been laid 

 down. A few of these fish are now acclimatised in the ponds 

 where they have been reared from the egg, and have in turn 

 yielded their ova without ever going to sea. The eggs are 

 arranged on glass grilles, and looked the essence of cleanliness, 

 as indeed did the entire hatchery, and herein lies one of the 

 great secrets of successful fish culture. 



Having finished our inspection, a net was run through one of 

 the ponds, and those who were privileged to witness the result 

 became convinced that the fish culture of the present day has 

 become a very real thing indeed. To see the masses of fine, 

 healthy trout, composed of individuals averaging several pounds 

 each, as the net was repeatedly brought to bank, is a sight of 

 no ordinary kind, but it was certainly to be seen to perfection 

 here. In skilful hands the fish were rapidly sorted, and then 

 the spawning operations began. Mr. Armistead has hitherto 

 made a practice of spawning every fish himself, and the amount 

 of labour entailed is very great. This may be understood more 

 fully perhaps when it is mentioned that after dinner on Satur- 

 day evening he went out and stripped 74 trout which had been 

 brought up from one of the ponds and placed in the tanks, and 

 it was 11 p.m. when he went to smoke the pipe of peace before 

 retiring to rest. A pile of spawning dishes being at hand, one 

 of them is taken and carefully wiped dry with a towel. Being 

 placed upon the spawning table, a fish is handed by an attendant 

 in a suitable landing net. It is adroitly seized by Mr. Armis- 

 tead, the left hand being placed just above the tail, which is 

 grasped by the thumb, while the head of the fish slips into and 

 is grasped by the riglit hand. Holding it in an oblique position 

 with the back downwards, the right thumb of the right hand is 

 passed along the abdomen, and the eggs are rapidly expelled into 

 the dish. The fish is then pitched skilfully over the end of the 

 table, and performing a somersault as it passes through the air, 

 it alights safely in a tank, and at the same instant another fish 



