NATAL’S EARLY TROUT 237 
hatching box, 7 ft. long, 10 in. deep, 18 in. wide. 
Across the lower end of the box was fastened 
a perforated zinc screen to prevent the troutlets 
escaping. In this hatching box were 110 trout 
fry, hatched from ova supplied from the Cape. 
The two stock ponds were each 30 ft. in length, 
and 4 ft. wide; the depth could be altered from 
2 ft. 6 in, to 4 ft. The object of the two stock 
ponds was to rear trout from Natal-bred ova. In 
one pond were fifty trout about eighteen months 
old, fed daily on dog biscuit, What ravenous 
appetites have hatchery trout! As soon as they 
were fed, they were after the morsels of biscuit 
like so many streaks of lightning, and apparently 
not a particle could have gone undevoured. In 
addition they got natural food in the water. 
They looked a fine, vigorous lot of fish. In the 
second stock pond were only two trout, half 
a pound each, caught from the Umgeni. Origin- 
ally there were five trout here, but an otter came, 
and three obituary notices had to be written. 
Such was the Tetworth hatchery in those early 
days. Its work has long been accomplished, 
handsomely, and Mr. John Parker can look back 
with pride upon a fine achievement. The cost of 
trout acclimatization to the Natal Government 
was comparatively small. Good trout fishing was 
available in the Umgeni and the Bushman’s rivers 
before probably £2,500 had been spent. Sucha 
record of success may be an incentive to other 
colonies which have suitable waters but are not 
yet committed to trout acclimatization. As a 
