£42 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



general being but one-foorth or one-fifth the size of the river or sea 

 salmon. There are also diflerences in color. Landlocked salmon never in 

 the breeding season assume so bright colors as male river or sea salmon. 

 Aside from these unimportant differences may be mentioned as more 

 important the difference in habits, landlocked salmon not going to the 

 sea, as a rule, though it is likely that it sometimes has occurred to stray 

 individuals to descend the Saint Croix or Presumpscot to the sea. They 

 find tbeir normal sea in the lakes. Also it may be noted that though in 

 maturity the landlocked salmon are smaller, in embryonic stages they are 

 larger, the eggs being perhaps 10 per cent greater in diameter. 



Another interesting point of comparison is the retention of the embry- 

 onic markings to a much greater age by landlocked salmon than by river 

 salmon. I have seen a Sebago salmon 13 incbes long with the dark bars 

 on the sides still very distinct, and in removing the skin of adult land- 

 locked salmon, I have found the marks still distinct on the under side 

 of the skin and on the membrane that still covered the flesh, as though 

 the restriction of the landlocked salmon to fresh water had stopped its 

 development, keeping it still in a somewhat embryonic stage. 



B. — Range. — Four districts in Maine, viz.: 



1. Basin of Presumpscot Eiver (Lake Sebago, &c.), 



2. Basin of Sebec River, a branch of the Penobscot. These salmon 

 are not known to be found in other parts of the Penobscot Basin. It is 

 singular that they have not spread all through the Penobscot, as it has 

 many lakes seemingly well suited to them. 



3. Basin of Union River, Bancock County. 



4. Basin of Saint Croix River. 



The fish of the Presumpscot and Saint Croix had earlier a wider range 

 than the others, and in both rivers were occasionally caught almost 

 down to tide-water. Within twelve years I have seen two that were 

 taken at Cumberland Mills on the Presumpscot. 



C. — Size of adults. — This varies much. The Sebago fish often reach 

 8 and 10 pounds, and sometimes 15. Saint Croix (or Schoodic, as we 

 commonly call them) salmon rarely exceed 6 pounds, and average 2^. 

 They are larger in some i^arts of the Schoodic Lakes than others, but 

 these dilferences are not constant. For instance, in 1875, those caughl 

 at Dobsis were nearly twice as large as those of Grand Lake Stream, but 

 the latter have increased in size year after year, until now they are about 

 the same size as the Dobsis fish. The Union River fish are large, about 

 like the Sebago salmon ; the Sebec fish are about like the Schoodic in size. 



There are local differences recognizable to one acquainted with the 

 different varieties, but hardly to be described. One interesting point 

 of diflerence between Schoodic and Sebec fish is this : Sebec fish mature 

 at a smaller size than the Schoodic,* and, while still small, frequent the 



*Latei- researches iudlcate that this is true only in comparison'with the fish ol 

 Grand Lake. In some of the other Schoodic lakes we find fish that mature when ol 

 gmall size. 



