WHITE PEECH, SMELTS, ETC. 209 



age 29 to the linear inch, and after they have 

 been water-hardened the number is only de- 

 creased by one ; they are among the very small- 

 est knovm, a quart containing about 1,600,000. 

 White-perch eggs are very adhesive, and when 

 stripped into an ordinary tin pan are extremely 

 difficult to handle; therefore porcelain-lined 

 pans should be used, and the eggs stirred con- 

 stantly with the tail of the fish while the milt is 

 being applied. If this is not done, the chances 

 are that a large percentage of the eggs will fail 

 to fertilise. 



After the eggs have been fertilised, washed, 

 and hardened, they are placed in jars at a bat- 

 tery, and cared for the same as shad's eggs. 



A peculiarity of the white-perch eggs is that 

 while yet undeveloped they are white and hard, 

 almost opaque, so that it is extremely difficult 

 to distinguish good eggs from bad. It is there- 

 fore unsafe, until after the eyes have developed, 

 to clean up any portion of a jar or throw away 

 its contents excepting where there are signs of 

 fungus, as it is not unusual for a large per- 

 centage of eggs, all presumably bad, to sud- 

 denly eye and hatch. Fortunately for the 



