THE WHITE FISHES AND THE SMELTS. 491 



than a foot, and a weight of about a pound. It is common in the market 

 of Salt Lake City, and sometimes comes into the San Francisco market. 

 1 It spawns in October and November, running from the lakes into the small 

 streams for this purpose. As a food-fish it ranks well, being similar to 

 its Eastern relative, C. quadrilateralis. 



The "Blue-fin" or "Black-fin," Coregonus nigripinnis , has thus far 

 been taken only in the deeper waters of Lake Michigan, and in deep 

 lakes near Madison, Wis. At times it comes in considerable numbers 

 to the Chicago market, but it is in general a rare species. It reaches a 

 much larger size than the Lake Herring, which it very closely resembles 

 in general appearance. 



The " Inconnu " of the French trappers and voyageurs of the far north, 

 is the Stenodus Mackenzii, which inhabits the Mackenzie river and its tri- 

 butaries, Yokon and Kowak rivers, Alaska. It is a food-fish of great 

 value, said to reach forty pounds in weight. 



The habits of the Coregoni are little understood. The publications of 

 the Fish Commission will give all that is of record, and also a fud history 

 of what has been done in their artificial propagation. 



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THE SMELT. 



The Smelt, Osmerus mordax, is found along our Atlantic coast from 

 Virginia to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The northern limit of its range 

 has not been precisely defined, although it is known to be extremely abund- 

 ant along the northern shores of New Brunswick. It is also found in many 

 of the fresh-water lakes of Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, 

 where they have become land-locked, and in some instances, as in Belgrade 

 Lake, Maine, seem to have rather been improved in size and flavor by the 

 change from salt to fresh water. 



The Wilton Smelt of Wilton Pond, Kennebec County, Maine, and the 



