ABSTEACTION OF OVA FEOM A FISHERY. 211 



nature to show that no harm whatever, but rather 

 benefit, occurs from the netting out of some of the 

 fish, and the abstracting of their spawn at spawn- 

 ing time, 



I account for this fact thus. A trout of about two 

 pounds win yield some 2,000 or 3,000 ova. Now, 

 in such waters as those I have quoted, in all pro- 

 bability there would not be much more than about 

 double that quantity of fry produced altogether. 

 Consequently, if there be, let us suppose, a thousand 

 brace of fish in either of these waters, the nine 

 hundred and ninety odd remaining brace of fish 

 may be looked upon as utterly unproductive. Now, 

 surely it can be no great loss to the stream to permit 

 a portion of this huge waste to be turned to a profitable 

 account ? There is scarcely an egg in a thousand 

 that comes from the trout which is hatched. What 

 do we deprive the water of by taking away a part of 

 this unproductive material ? Suppose that we take 

 10,000 eggs from a river — it will represent about ten 

 small fry. This is not a very heavy abstraction. 

 Now, in the action of the Acclimatisation Society, 

 we endeavour to make the taking of the spawn a 

 very profitable affair to the persons who give us 

 permission, as we agree to return them, if they 

 require it, from ten to fifteen per cent, of the pro- 

 p2 



