35° 



A VOYAGE TO 



1779- great fhoals, but do not remain long on the coaft. They 

 c -°-° r '_. had intirely left the bay before we failed out of it the firft 

 time, but were beginning to reviGt it again in October. It 

 has been already mentioned, that the herrings were re- 

 markably fine and large, and that we filled a great part of 

 our empty cafks with them. The beginning of June, large 

 quantities of excellent cod were taken ; a part of which 

 were likcwife falted. Wc caught too, at different times, 

 numbers of fmall J5fh, much refembling a fmelt, and once 

 drew out a wolf-fifh. 



Notwithstanding this abundance of flat-fifh, cod, and her- 

 ring, it is on the falmon fifliery alone that the Kamtfcha- 

 dales depend for their winter provifions. Of thefe, it is 

 faid, by naturalifts, there are to be found, on this coaft, all 

 the different fpecies that are known to exift, and which the 

 natives formerly characterized by the different months in 

 which they afcend the riveis. They fay too, that though 

 the fhoals of different forts are feen to mount the rivers at 

 the fame time, yet they never mix with each other ; that 

 they always return to the fame river in which they were 

 bred, but not till the third fummcr ; that neither the male 

 nor female live to regain the fca ; that certain fpecies fre- 

 quent certain rivers, and are never found in others, though 

 they empty themfelves nearly at the fame place. 



The firft fhoals of falmon begin to enter the mouth of the 

 Awatfka about the middle of May ; and this kind, which 

 is called by the Kamtfchadales Tcbavitfi, is the largeft and 

 moft valued. Their length is generally about three feet and 

 a half: they are very deep in proportion, and their average 

 weight is from thirty to forty pounds. The tail is not forked, 



6 but 



