452 SALMON AND TROUT. 
the two were brought into contact.! It is well known now 
that the ova will retain the power of absorption of the milt for 
a considerable time, if water has not already entered the 
*micropyle ;’ but if water enters first, the spermatozoa does 
not take effect. It is also known that ‘milt’ will not live long 
in water—two minutes being the supposed limit. ‘ Paradoxical 
as it appears, water drowns them’ (Stone, p. 107). It is stated 
that the ‘Spermatozoa of the milt remains alive several days 
when kept from the -air and water,’ consequently crosses of 
breed can be effected which should lead to valuable results. 
The introduction of ‘fresh blood’ by these means would be 
very simple, and of the greatest advantage to waters where the 
fish have become degenerated ; it would, however, take at least 
five or six years for the improvement to be seen, but the time 
might be shortened by the introduction of yearling fish from 
other waters. 
Both the eggs and the milt are now put into a spawning pan 
with #0 wader save that which falls from the body of the fish in 
the process of taking the eggs, and the results are in the highest 
degree satisfactory. Water is of course added after a few mi- 
nutes, and the usual rinsing is necessary. I have frequently had 
samples of eggs in which roo per cent. have been impregnated, 
and many other pisciculturists have similar experiences. A 
table is given in Stone’s book (p. 104) of thirteen samples of 
eggs, amounting in all to 72,300, in which 96 per cent. were 
impregnated, and on the next page he very naturally considers 
the difference in the labour which this makes, calculating that 
in a million ova it would take about thirty-five whole days to 
pick out, one by one, the worthless 40 per cent. which are 
found by taking the eggs on the old system. The bad eggs 
must be removed sooner or later, and it will be immediately 
seen that the work of a pisciculturist is very much lessened 
when he has 95 per cent. of good eggs, and but 5 rer cent, 
remain to be picked out. 
1 On the day the above was penned the writer operated on 350 fish in two 
hours ; this, without allowing for pauses, gives twenty seconds for each fish, 
and is tolerably quick work, 
