110 



The fish being now in the tub must be taken to the 

 hatching house as quickly as possible. There are proba- 

 bly in the tub some fifteen or twenty fish, and all the 

 operatioDb must be conducted as quickly as possible so 

 that they will not die in the small quantity of water to 

 which they are confined. S.o long as the fish lie quiet 

 in the bottom ot the tub there is sufficient air in the 

 water to sustain them, but as soon as they begin to come 

 to the surface and try to leap out, it is a sign that the 

 air is nearly exhausted and the water should be renewed. 

 They will also open their mouths wide, just as a person 

 would when gasping for air. The question has some- 

 times been asked how long a trout would live out of 

 water ; the answer is, about as long as a man would live 

 under the water. Trout will die in a tub out of which 

 the oxygen has been exhausted by their breathing, more 

 quickly than they would die in a cloudy da;y if out of 

 the water entirely. 



A fire may be made in the hatching-house to warm 

 your fingers, which will probably get cool while engaged 

 in this operation. A six-quart milk-pan is to be pro- 

 vided, if you have many fish, and also another tub of 

 water, into which to put the £sh alter they are deprived 

 of their spawn. Select a fish, and holding it over the 

 milk pan, which has been dipped in water to wet it, rub it 

 gently with the fore finger and thumb, from the pectoral 

 fins to the vent. A little experience will show how this 

 is to be done. If the fish is ripe, a few drops of pearly 

 colored milt, or orange hued eggs, will be forcibly ex- 

 pressed into the pan. If the milt is not of this color, it 

 shows that the milt is not good, and another male must 

 be taken and treated in a similar manner. The female 

 must be pressed more slowly and oftener than the male. 

 If the eggs are not ripe, by passing the hand lightly over 



