Trout Breeding. 65 



the reports of the American Fishculturists' Associa- 

 tion, now the American Fisheries Society, it is on rec- 

 ord that he bragged of showing Mr. Stone how to take 

 trout eggs and filled the pan with water. I visited his 

 ponds often and noted that he was picking out as many 

 white eggs as any one. 



The main points in taking eggs are : cleanliness of 

 all implements ; wet hands, to prevent removing slim.e 

 from fish, which means death to them from fungus, a 

 point that will be taken up under the head of "Dis- 

 eases ;'' the rapidity with which the eggs and milt are 

 brought together after extrusion, and the protection 

 from changes of temperature. Temperature is a vital 

 point. If the air and water are of nearly equal tem- 

 perature, all right; but if the air is much colder than 

 the water, set the pans in water at once. If in the 

 pond, cover the pans, for the sun must never strike a 

 trout egg. I shall probably say this several times, and 

 will now repeat it : never let the sun shine on a trout 

 egg. If you have a hatching house, take the pans there, 

 and if the air in the house is too cold set the pans in a 

 hatching trough. 



Remember this : Water, whether in brooks or lakes, 

 does not vary suddenly in temperature. It takes many 

 days of warm or cold air to raise or lower a pond a 

 degree or two ; the change is slow ; therefore the fishes, 

 not being accustomed to sudden changes, cannot stand 

 them. In winter the globe of goldfish stands in a room 

 heated to 70° Fahrenheit. "The poor things need fresh 

 water!" And they get it from the house service at 

 near the freezing point, and after a few shocks of this 

 kind that hardy and much-abused fish dies, and its 

 owner wonders what killed it when "it had fresh water 

 every day." A trout cannot endure anything like that 



