66 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



slaughter of fish just before they have had a 

 chance to deposit their eggs is the quickest 

 way possible to end the race. So the gov- 

 ernment steps in and picks the best shad 

 from the seines. The white-coated "strip- 

 per" draws the spawn from the body of the 

 fish into his vessels and carries them to the 

 "Fish-hawk." Here the fertilized eggs are 

 put into jars through which runs a constant 

 supply of fresh water. The eggs soon 

 hatch, and when the young are old enough 

 to take care of themselves they are carried 

 to the upper waters of the stream and al- 

 lowed to go free. 



Meanwhile the few fish which have es- 

 caped the seines reach the higher waters of 

 the river. Towards evening the " does," 

 hunting out the quiet reaches of water just 

 below the sand bars, deposit their eggs, and 

 the "milters" following soon after fertilize 

 these eggs. The parent shad take no care 

 of their young, but begin almost immediate- 

 ly their return to the ocean. 



All of this long run has been made abso- 

 lutely without food, as is the quicker re- 



