384 THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



not more than one in a thousand fry turned into a 

 stream is likely to celebrate the first anniversary of 

 its birth, was in any way exaggerated. Probably the 

 reason why artificial propagation and breeding of 

 salmon has proved so unsuccessful is that in the 

 majority of cases the young salmon have been turned 

 adrift in the rivers as feeding-fry. 



The plan of making artificial redds and laying down 

 eyed ova within a week or even 

 Stocking with eyed ova less of their hatching out is so 

 or alevins. easy, so simple, and so inex- 



pensive that it must commend 

 itself to all of us. The eggs hatch out in the water 

 of the stream in -which the trout are destined to live ; 

 the helpless alevins, until they have absorbed the um- 

 bilical sac, are in comparative safety, and as they 

 reach the feeding stage will instinctively take up their 

 positions, locating themselves in shelter and generally 

 behind largish stones. They will dart out, seize the 

 tiny insect larvae or nymphs, young shrimps, or other 

 minute creatures fit for their sustenance, dart back to 

 their hiding-places and thus elude a considerable propor- 

 tion of their natural enemies. As they grow stronger 

 they will, of their own free will, swim out of the troughs 

 in which the artificial redds were made and distribute 

 themselves over suitable parts of the nearest shallows. 



If there should be a difficulty in finding a suitable 

 place for the artificial redds, alevins may be purchased 

 just before they have absorbed the yolk sac and 

 planted out on the thinnest parts of the breeding 



