Sunapee Trout ; American Saibling 



to Sunapee Lake, New Hampshire, and Flood Pond, near Ells- 

 worth, Maine, but through fish cultural operations it has been in- 

 troduced into a number of other lakes. 



The water of both Sunapee Lake and Flood Pond is ex- 

 ceptionally pure and cold, the bottom temperature varying from 

 38 to 52, according to the depth, as giving by Dr. Quacken- 

 bos. The maximum depth of each is over 100 feet, the bottom 

 is of white sand and gravel, and there is in each an abundance 

 of Crustacea and other fish-food. 



These are the environing conditions which have made the 

 Sunapee trout a fish of surprising beauty and gracefulness. 

 According to Dr. Quackenbos who has a more intimate ac- 

 quaintance with this fish than any other who has written about 

 it, the distinguishing characteristics are as follows: "The presence 

 of a broad row of teeth on the hyoid bone between the lower 

 extremities of the first 2 gill-arches; the absence of mottling on 

 the dark sea-green back, and the excessively developed fins; in- 

 conspicuous yellow spots without areola: a square or slightly 

 emarginate tail; a small and delicately shaped head; diminutive, 

 aristocratic mouth, liquid planetary eyes, and a generally graceful 

 build; a phenomenally brilliant nuptial colouration, recalling the 

 foreign appellations of 'blood-red charr,' 'gilt charr,' and 

 'golden saibling.' As the October pairing time approaches, the 

 Sunapee fish becomes illuminated with the flushes of maturing 

 passion. 



"The steel-green mantle of the back and shoulders now 

 seems to dissolve into a veil of amethyst, through which the 

 daffodil spots of mid-summer gleam out in points of flame, 

 while below the : lateral line all is dazzling orange. The fins 

 catch the hue of adjacent parts, and pectoral, ventral, anal, and 

 lower lobe of caudal, are marked with a lustrous white band. 



" It is a unique experience to watch this American saibling 

 spawning on the Sunapee shallows. Here in all the magnificence 

 of their nuptial decoration Hash schools of painted beauties, 

 c : rcling in proud sweeps about the submerged boulders they 

 would select as the scenes of their loves the poetry of an epi- 

 thalamium in every motion in one direction, uncovering to the 

 sunbeams in amorous leaps their golden-tinctured sides, gemmed 

 with the fire of rubies; in another, darting in little companies, 

 the pencilled margins of their fins seeming to trail behind them 



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