St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-03-16

| than likely that less than two hundred
| are destined to hatch into little fish and
| that the rest of them will soon die or be
devoured.
| Now follows the strange part OF the
story, for Mr.. and Mrs Trout having
performed their duties as they know
them, leave the nest and no longer feel
any interest in the eggs or in their child
rem which may hatch from them. But
| that is the way of most cold-blooded
hshes,-not to think any more of their
| own children than of other fishes in
deed, if baby fish should cross the path
of Mr. and Mrs. Trout they would not
stop to inquire it's parentage before
| making meal of it if they happened to
be hungry. So these cold blooded
parents gradually work their way, tail
first, down stream, very likely robbing
the nests of other trout as they go, until
they find congenial place to stay for
the winter. Here we lose sight of them,
for they become separated and, just like
all the other trout, with no individual
interest for us.
Other trout which assembled the stream
in the same school or in other schools
pair off, make nests, and deposit eggs on
them Just as did our MIR. and Mrs.
Trout. This mating and laying of eggs
lasts for nearly two months. Before the
season is over three other pairs of trout
have cleared up the nest on which Mr..
and Mrs. Trout left eggs. Each pair eat
some of the eggs which become exposed
while they are rubbing over the nest.
Thus you see that it is very difficult to
keep track of family of trout, for we
now have what remains of the eggs of
Mr.. and Mrs. Trout and of three other
pairs of trout all on one nest. Let us see
what became of them.
All of the older trout leave that part of
the stream and settle down in deeper
pools in the main stream or in the pond
from which the school started. The
water flowing over the eggs grows cold
er and colder until the stream is covered
with ice and snow. The cold water does
not injure the eggs; it only puts off the
time when they will hatch and the colder
the water the longer it takes for the lit
tie fishes to develop and break through
the eggs. In fact there are some advan-
tages in the cold water, for fishes and
other water animals which are fond of
fish eggs are not so hungry or active
during the winter when the streams are
icy cold. Yet the nest of eggs is not
without its enemies, for there are young
trout born year ago which must have
some food. One of them can eat several
eggs a day. Then there is peculiar lit
tie fish called blob, chucklehead, darter,
rniller's thumb, star gazer. and dozen
other names indicative OF his appearance
or habits. This little fish of many
names hides under the stoues with his
head out or lies on the gravel. Being of
the same color as the bottom of the
stream, he is not easily discovered and
when anything good to eat floats to-
wards him he opens his mouth and
draws it in, or if necessary darts after it.
AS result many little trout disappear
in its capacious nav, and if it happens
to have home near a nest of eggs it
does not wait for them to turn into lit
tie fishes, but greedily devours them.
Then again there are many kinds of
minnows in some trout streams; two
kinds live in the stream where our nest
is, and as they consider trout eggs a
great delicacy, they eat as many as they
can find.
Last, but not least, the caddis worms
are abundant in nearly all trout
streams. Izaak Walton says, Several
countries have several kinds of caddises
that indeed differ as much as dogs do;
that is to say, as much as a very cur and
a greyhound do"
Caddis worms build curious little
houses, shaped like a hollow cylinder,
out of sticks, straw. pieces of bark, or
gether as neatly as a mosaic In these
they live and hide themselves in time of
danger. The boys call them tick-baits
because they are used for bait and their
homes often resemble small decaying
sticks. When in search of food the
worm extends its head and with front
feelers drags the house along the bottom
of the stream. You have read how they
turn into flies and how Mrs. Trout en-
joved catching the flies as they rose to
the top of the water. Mrs. Trout also
enjoys the worms and it is fine play for
her silently to dart up behind a caddis
worm crawling along on the bottom.
with a quick turn seize the head and
shoulders in her mouth and shake it so
violently that the little stone house falls
off, and the worm slides a delicate NOR
sci down Mrs. Trout's throat.
But now the caddises have their re-
venge upon Mrs. Trout, for they like
nothing better than trout eggs and baby
fish with umbilical sacs, like the one
which came to the wife of the mayor,
and many fine meal they make off
them.
All these and many more forms of
aquatic life are fond of fish eggs, so you
will wonder that any eggs were left in
the nest when the freshet came with the
January thaw.
Notwithstanding all these enemies
some eggs survive and during all this
time little fishes are developing inside of
them until two little eye spots show
through each amber colored shell, first
very family and later on~more plainly.
Then the outline of the little fishes
curled up in the shells can also be seen,
at first of whitish color and later of
distinct brown shade.
1t was at this stage that the January
thaw caused the snow on the hills to
melt and the water to pour into the lit
tie stream until it became a raging tor
rent and the nest of eggs was washed
out. Some of them are smothered under
the sand and debris but others find rest
ing places. AS one little egg goes whirl-
ing along in the foaming torrent it is
Il