DEPOPULATION OF TROUT-STREAMS. 115 
yearlings in boxes, or “nurseries.” It is pleasant 
then to watch the progress they make, to see 
how tame they become, and the manner in which 
they rush out and wait about at feeding time. 
Every angler has watched how the smaller wild 
trout act in early summer, when the myriads of 
black gnats revolve just over the water. In the 
nurseries the little fish act in precisely the same 
way, jump and throw themselves out of the water, 
and gambol in the most frolicsome fashion. 
It is almost useless to turn down small fish in 
large sheets of water where great numbers of 
predatory fishes, such as pike, already exist. 
This applies with greater force where there are 
few shallow-water conditions, which means that 
small fish have absolutely no means of escape. 
Probably the most effectual method of stocking 
such water—deep fresh-water lakes, reservoirs, etc. 
—is by two-year-old trout, or even older. Fish at 
this age have attained to six or eight inches, and, 
if turned out in early spring, often make upwards 
of half a pound by the end of the ensuing summer. 
These two-year-olds can be purchased at £25 
a thousand, whilst yearlings may be bought 
at less than half that price; and in either case, 
with skilful care, there is little risk in transit. 
Of course, larger fish than these can be obtained 
for money—trout from two to five pounds in 
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