e whatever there is to see."

The hatchery itself was simple and bare, as the foreman had suggested,
consisting merely of a row of boxes arranged in such a way that water
flowed through them constantly, bringing a steady supply of fresh water
without carrying away the light eggs and tiny fry. Colin was thoroughly
interested, and followed the foreman from place to place, eagerly
watching the processes of hatching the fish and asking unending
questions.

[Illustration: HATCHERIES IN MAINE FOR LANDLOCKED SALMON.

_Courtesy of the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries._]

"Here," the man said, after he had answered a dozen or more queries.
"I'll show you just how it's done and you'll learn more from watching
than I could tell you in a week of talk."

He led the way to a large pond not far from the hatchery, which was
connected with a small stream, the water of which was almost entirely
fresh.

"It's a little early yet for the autumn run," the foreman said, "but
maybe there's some salmon ready for their eggs to be taken. We'll have a
look, anyway."

"Are there any chinook in there?" queried Colin, who was feeling a
little proud of the knowledge he had acquired that morning as to the way
of distinguishing the varieties of salmon.

"Don't want chinook," was the reply; "they have got to go away up the
river to spawn and wouldn't be in shape if we tried to use them here. We
only raise humpback and dog here, the hatcheries for chinook and silver
salmon are away up the river."

"Run by the State or the Government?" queried the boy.

"Both," was the reply, "and quite a few are managed by commercial fish
companies who are as anxious as any one to see that the annual salmon
run does not grow smaller. Their living depends upon it."

At his request one of the men commenced scooping up some of the salmon
in the pool to see if any of them were ripe, and meantime the
foreman--who was still wearing his oilskins--picked up a tin pail,
holding it between his knees. In a minute or two the man came in holding
a ripe female salmon.

"Now watch," the foreman said to Colin, "and you can see the whole
performance."

He seized the salmon by the tail, and all the eggs ran down toward the
head. Then, holding the fish head upward, he pressed it slightly, and
the eggs ran out from the vent rapidly, striking the bottom of the pan
with considerable force. The foreman had hardly got the eggs when his
assistant came in with a male salmon, and the same