CONCERNING SMALL FRY. 81 
on to where they are thrown down. They attach 
themselves to the interstices of the sand and 
gravel, and probably hatch in a very few days. 
So small are the eggs that they would be difficult 
to detect, were it not that they are thrown down 
in masses—masses as large as a horse-chestnut. 
All the creatures of the waterside assemble at the 
minnows spawning ground; and where possible 
the pink ought to be protected. They tend to 
keep the water clean and pure, and themselves 
afford the most valuable food for salmon and 
trout, either in a wild or semi-wild state. Not 
only do minrows hatch out rapidly, but grow 
rapidly, and by the end of their first summer 
they attain to an inch in length. To-day we 
scooped up a dozen minnows in our landing-net 
from a quiet backwater, and find that they are 
done in all the glory of spring colouring. Rose 
and purple flash along their sides, and it is this hue 
that gives it the pretty, provincial name of pink. 
Here is an interesting anecdote anent this 
species. In crossing a foot-bridge, a gentleman saw 
in the water what he thought to be a flower. Ob- 
serving it more attentively, it was seen to consist 
of a circular assemblage of minnows. Their heads 
met in the centre, their tails diverging at equal 
distances, and the latter, being elevated above 
their heads, gave them the appearance of a flower 
G 
