BROOK TROUT. 
89 
fish was said to be caught by slow trolling with worm bait in about thirty feet of water. The 
present writer once caught a tw'o-pound trout in early June that contained ripe spawn. 
Livingston Stone says: “It is at all events true that in the spawning season the trout 
are very much influenced in their spawning by the character of the day. An experienced breeder 
can tell in the morning, by the wind, the sky, and the state of the air, how his trout are going 
to spawn that day. Indeed, a person sensitive to the changes in the weather can tell by his 
feelings, with his eyes shut, whether it is going to be a good day for spawning. A warm rain 
is the most favorable condition for spawning. A sharp frosty night, followed by a warm, 
bright, sunny afternoon is the next best. A warm rain, particularly, brings up the fish upon 
the beds in swarms. This is partly owing to the increased volume of the water, for a freshet 
always calls out the instinct in trout and salmon to rush up to higher waters; but it is not 
wholly this, for the action of the pattering rain on the water hastens irresistibly their time of 
parturition, and they would spawn more in a warm rain if the volume of water were not in- 
creased any. On these favorable days it is noticeable that the milt of the males is also much 
better ripened, as well as the eggs of the female. A raw, chilly November day, when the air 
feels disagreeable, is the worst kind of weather for spawning, and in some of these days they will 
hardly come up at all. An increased current and volume of water have an effect upon the 
spawning fish similar to a rain, perhaps from the same cause, namely, increase of friction in the 
water. At any rate, the trout come up better when the stream rises. This instinct the breeder 
can often turn to his own convenience. For instance, if he must be absent a day, he can keep 
the spawners back by turning off the water as far as is safe; or if he wants to hasten the spawn- 
ing on any particular day, he can do so by turning on a powerful current. The afternoon 
especially, whether rainy or sunny, I have always found to be the best part of the day for 
taking spawn.” 
The eggs are hatched in the spring, the time being determined by the temperature of the 
water. Warm water hastens and cold water retards the hatching. .4fter they are hatched 
the young trout lie concealed amongst the gravel until the yolk sack is absorbed and it is cap- 
able of feeding. Then it gets into shoal water along the stream’s margin or on the ripples, 
and whenever possible into rivulets and other small waterways. They ascend such places for 
considerable distances. 
Growth and Age. 
A correspondent of Forest and Stream of June 23, 1887, asked the questions: “What 
causes the Salmo fontinalis to grow to such a size in the Androscoggin waters? Wliy are not 
the trout as large in Moosehead and other Maine lakes?” Then he proceeds to answer th<3 
questions himself: “Cut open the maw of one of the great trout and the que.stion is answered. 
There you will find minnows in several stages of digestion, from the one just gulped down to 
