FERTILISING TROUT EGGS 133 



the pan so that the vent will be as close to the 

 bottom as possible while the eggs or milt are 

 being taken. 



There are two methods of taking eggs, one 

 known as the two-finger, or thtimb-and-finger 

 method, and the other the one-finger method. 

 In the former a man gives a slight pressure 

 with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand 

 along each side of the beUy, from below the 

 head towards the vent. In the one-finger 

 method — ^probably the better — the thumb is 

 gently pressed along the bottom of the belly 

 towards the vent and the forefinger aids only 

 in the final stripping of the last few eggs. By 

 either method the eggs are easily expressed and 

 flow in a steady stream into the pan. The ad- 

 vocates of the one-finger method hold that there 

 is less liability of injury to the fish than by the 

 two-finger method. Probably they are right. 



Some men believe in stripping every egg from 

 the female ; others that it is best to allow a few 

 to remain. The former hold that it is better 

 for the fish, as there is a liability that the eggs 

 which remain will not be voided naturally by 

 the female afterwards, but that they will harden 



