ully hatched out, there can be but little
doubt as to which is the better way. It is difficult to make sure of
catching the fish just at the time they are ripe, so it is advisable to
impound them in a fenced-off portion of the river, where they may be got
at easily.

In the ripe female the ova flow out very readily, and but little
pressure is necessary. Hard pressure on the abdomen should never be
applied, as it is sure to injure the fish. A ripe female having been
obtained, from which the ova flow readily, the female is held over a
perfectly clean tin or earthenware dish--wet, but containing no
water--and the ova are caused to flow into it by gently but firmly
pressing the hand on the abdomen, and stroking it down towards the vent.
Milt from a ripe male fish is then allowed to run over the ova in the
dish, and is made to run well between them by tilting the dish about
from side to side. The ova will now adhere together, and some water
should be added. This water should be poured off and fresh added till
the superfluous milt is washed away, when the ova should be left in the
water till they separate, which will be in about twenty minutes or half
an hour.

The fertilized ova thus obtained may either be laid down in artificially
protected hatching beds, or may be transferred to a hatchery. The latter
proceeding, of course, requires a hatching house specially built and
arranged, and as this is outside the scope of the present work, I would
refer my readers to larger works upon the subject, such as _An Angler's
Paradise_, by J. J. Armistead. Of course, by using a hatchery a large
number of the eggs will be saved, ninety per cent. of them should hatch
out. This is, therefore, obviously the best way to proceed. A very much
larger number of eggs will, however, be hatched out in properly-chosen
artificial beds than would be the case if they were left to nature.

The necessary qualities of a good artificial bed are, a good supply of
clean water which is not liable if there is a spate to deposit sediment
on the eggs, protection from light, and protection from the many
creatures which prey upon the ova. The hatching beds may be so arranged
that the young fish may escape as soon as they like after hatching out,
but it is best to watch and protect them for at any rate the first few
weeks after they have begun to feed, and while continuing the feeding,
to allow those of the fish that wish to escape.

The rearing of young salmon a