1 80 The Life Story of the Fish 



river fish going up tributaries and lake fish ascending inlets, 

 but some forms, including the landlocked salmon and the 

 golden trout, will also go down into the outlet of a lake to 

 spawn. The eastern brook trout, although normally seeking 

 stream gravels, can spawn successfully in lakes if there are 

 spring seepages in the bottom, and the lake trout or mackinaw 

 spawn only on lake bottoms, without need of any current. 



Many people have watched trout on their natural breed- 

 ing-grounds, but early observers apparently confused court- 

 ing and nesting activities with the true spawning act. Their 

 descriptions have been so widely accepted in the past and 

 have so firmly established certain misconceptions that it is 

 worth while to summarize here the reports of more recent 

 and more thorough observations. 



The steelhead may be taken as a typical example. The 

 female chooses the location, which is usually at the lower 

 end of a pool where the still water just begins to break off 

 into a rifHe, and often where it is so shallow that her dorsal 

 fin or even her back is visible above the surface. In leisurely 

 fashion she digs a pit in the gravel. This is accomplished by 

 turning on her side, pressing her tail against the bottom, 

 and flapping it vigorously several times. The movement 

 loosens the bottom materials, which are carried downstream 

 by the current, and at the same time forces her upstream 

 several feet. She returns to the spot, sometimes at once and 

 sometimes after an interval, and continues operations, from 

 time to time dropping down into the hollow and appearing 

 to test it with her anal fin. Her mate remains in close at- 

 tendance, a little to one side and a short distance to the rear. 

 He does not help with the digging, but occupies himself in 

 driving away the other males who invariably try to join the 

 party, and in courtship. The latter consists partly in swim- 

 ming around and over the female and nudging her with his 

 snout, but most especially in coming close alongside her and 



