70 Salmon at the Antipodes. 



in damp moss and taken to the hatching- 

 boxes. It is not very safe to keep them long 

 in still water, although they may be retained 

 in this way for a short time. It is weU to 

 renew the water occasionally, or to have it 

 aerated, to prevent injury to the ova. 



But, as collecting the ova from the natural 

 spawning-beds is attended with great difficulty, 

 a plan has been adopted, of netting the fish 

 when they are ready to spawn, and by careful 

 manipulation obtaining the ova from the 

 female, and fertilizing them with the seminal 

 fluid, taken in the same way from the male. 

 A little practical experience teaches the 

 operator to know when a female fish is ripe 

 for spawning, the eggs having then left the 

 ovaries, and descended into the abdomen, 

 where they remain ready to flow out with a 

 slight pressure, like shot from a shot-belt. 

 The same operation is repeated with the male 

 fish, and the milt is well stirred up with the 

 ova, which at first are covered with a glutinous 

 matter, which makes them adhere to each 

 other. After standing for a little while, they 

 will separate easily, and are then ready to be 

 placed in the hatching apparatus. The opera- 



