105 



three inches deep. This is made by diving down at 

 intervals against the gravel and as she comes np giving 

 it a sUrt to one side with her tail. Nearly the same 

 motion as may be often observed when trout dart down 

 to the bottom and rub their sides against it to free them- 

 selves from parasites. The dipping motion is continued 

 for some days until the nest is large enough to suit her. 

 \fter lying over this some time the female is ready to 

 emit a portion of her eggs. The male lies by her side 

 while she does so. However busy he may have been in 

 driving off interlopers, he seems to know by instinct 

 when the female is ready to emit her eggs and is always 

 by he side. At the time she emits her eggs he emits his 

 milt over them. They do this with a curious curl up- 

 ward, which every trout-breeder should see for himself. 

 Very often the male and female lock jaws together and 

 their heads slowly rise, apparently trembling with excite- 

 ment. They emit eggs and milt until a nearly vertical 

 position is gained, still lying over the hole, then, they 

 fall away from one another and the male retires to some 

 secluded spot where he remains five or ten minutes rest- 

 ing. This interval the female employs in covering her 

 eggs. She wili^tV^ in with her tail all the stones of pro- 

 per size to be found near her nest, and if there are not 

 enough tocover it to her liking she will go above, and, 

 picking out a particular stone, work it down backward 

 between the two ventral fins. This labor she continues 

 until the eggs are completely covered. 



After five or ten minutes the male pays her a visit to 

 see how she is getting along. He looks around a little, 

 eats a few of the eggs if he can find any uncovered, and 

 then retires to his lurking place again, where he remains 

 twenty minutes with only occasional visits to the female 

 before he recovers from the exhaustion which he has 



