18 THE NEW ABT OF BREEDING FISH. 



their age to date from the period of the water's re- 

 turn. This fact is vouched for by the fishermen of 

 that river. The'inference is clear, that the fecunda- 

 ted eggs have been left in the bed of the channel at 

 the time it dried up, and so remained until the re- 

 turning waters have united all the necessary elements 

 of incubation, which has then taken place, and soon 

 after the eggs have been hatched. 



Founded on these facts, Mr. Gfihin adopts the | 

 following mode for preserving and transporting fe- 

 cundated eggs. 



He takes one of the boxes we have already des- 

 cribed, and covers the bottom with a bed of fine sand; 

 he covers this with a layer of gravel or pebbles, vary- 

 ing in size from a pea to a hazelnut, and upon the 

 gravel he spreads a layer of fecundated eggs. These 

 again are covered with sand, then another layer of 

 gravel and then one of eggs, and so on till the box 

 is filled. He takes great care beforehand to wash the 

 sand and gravel so as to_ free it entirely from every 

 particle of mud or slime. 



When the box is full he dips it in water so that 

 its contents shall be thereby more closely packed to- 

 gether ; and being thereafter exposed to the air it 

 can be sent anywhere without altering the condition 

 of the eggs. 



On the receipt of the box its contents are taken 

 out and placed in five or six other boxes — each con- 

 taining the spawn of one female. — and these are 

 placed in the gravelly bed of a stream according to 



