THE STEW. 167 



of the stew and immersed for fully five minutes 

 in a strong solution of common salt. The next 

 day one dead yearling was found ; then, on 

 successive days, one, five, eight, ten, five, 

 thirteen, twelve. At this stage the yearlings 

 were once more treated with a stronger bath of 

 brine, and on the next two days twelve more 

 deaths were recorded ; so that, in all, 1 67 out 

 of the 1000 had been lost. 



At first it was imagined that some pollution 

 of the stream might have taken place ; no 

 trace, however, could be found of dead fish 

 in any other part of the river, excepting a 

 single dead dace, covered with fungus, at a 

 point two miles lower down ; this conjecture of 

 the cause was therefore dismissed as unlikely. 

 Various theories were propounded during the 

 epidemic, and as many more remedies suggested. 

 All concerned were impressed by the fact that 

 every dead trout was more or less covered by 

 fungoid growth. Many were affected on the 

 head, and in the neighbourhood of the gills, 

 and some on the tail, which seemed to become 

 ragged and out of shape. 



At the early stages it was not considered 

 prudent to give too much force of steam, as 

 some of the weakly ones appeared unable to 

 stand it. After the loss of the 167, as only two 

 more could be seen with marks of the disease 



