Jordan and Evcrmatm. — Fishes of North America. 477 



As alreadj' stated, tho'econoinic value of any species depends in great part on its being a "spring 

 salmon." It is not generally possible to capture salmon of any species in large numbers until 

 they hare entered the rivers, and the spring salmon enter the rivers long before the growth of 

 the organs of reproduction has reduced the richness of the flesh. The fall salmon can not be 

 taken in quantity until their-flesh has deteriorated ; hence, the Dog Salmon is practically almost 

 worthless, except to the Indians, and the Humpback Salmon is little better. The Silver Salmon, 

 with the same breeding habits as the Dog Salmon, is more valuable, as it is found in the inland 

 waters of Puget Sound for a considerable time before the fall rains cause the fall runs, and it may 

 be taken in large numbers with seines before the season for entering the rivers. The Quinnat 

 Salmon, from its great size and abundance, is more valuable than all the other fislies on our 

 Pacific Coast taken together. The Blueback, similar in flesh, but much smaller and less .abun- 

 dant, is worth much more than the combined value of the three remaining species of salmon. 



The fall salmon of all species, but especially of the Dog Salmon, ascend streams but a short 

 distance before spawning. They seem to be in great anxiety to find fresh water, and many of 

 them work their way up little brooks only a few inches deep, where they perish miserably, 

 floundering about on the stones. Every stream, of whatever kind, has more or less of these fall 

 salmon. 



It is the prevailing impression that the salmon have some special instinct which leads them to 

 return to spawn in the same spawning grounds where they were originally hatched. We fail to 

 find any evidence of this in the case of the Pacific Coast salmon, and we do not believe it to be 

 true. It seems more probably that the young salmon hatched in any river mostly remain in the 

 ocean, within a radius of 20, 30, or 40 miles of its mouth. These, in their movements about in 

 the ocean, may come into contact with the cold waters of their parent rivers, or, perhaps, of any 

 other river, at a considerable distance from the shore. In the case of the Qninnat and the 

 Blueback, their "instinct" seems to lead them to ascend these fresh waters, and, in a majority 

 of cases, these waters will be those in which the fishes in question were originally spawned. 

 Later in the season the growth of the reproductive organs leads them to approach the shore and 

 search for fresh waters, and still the chances are that they may find the original stream. But 

 undoubtedly many fall salmon ascend, or try to ascend, streams in which no salmon were ever 

 hatched. In little brooks about Puget Sound, where the water is not 3 inches deep, are often 

 found dead or dying salmon, which have entered them for the purpose of spawning. It is said 

 of the Russian River and other California rivers, that their mouths, in the time of low water in 

 summer, generally become entirely closed by sand bars, and that the salmon, in their eagerness 

 to ascend them, frequently fling themselves entirely out of water on the beach. But this does 

 not prove that the salmon are guided by a marvelous geographical instinct, which leads them 

 to their parent river in spite of the fact that the river can not be found. The waters of Rus- 

 sian River soak through these sand bars, and the salmon instinct, we think, leads them merely 

 to search for fresh waters. This nuitter is much in need of further investigation; at present, 

 however, we find no reason to believe that the salmon enter the Rogue River simply because 

 they were spawned there, or that a salmon hatched in the Clackamas River is more likely, on 

 that account, to return to the Clackamas than to go up the Cowlitz or the Des Chutes. 



Oncobhynchus : 

 a. Gill rakers comparatively short and few (20 to 25 in number). 



h. Scales very small, more than 200 in a longitudinal series; caudal spots large, oblong. 



GORBUSCHA, 773. 



hh. Scales medium, about 145 (138 to 155) in a longitudinal series ; pyloric ccecaabout 150. 

 c. Anal rays 13 or 14 ; black spots small or obsolete ; B. 13 or 14. keta, 774. 



cc. Anal rays about 16 ; back and upper fins with round black spots ; B. 15 to 19. 



TSCHAWYTSCHA, 775. 



6?)?). Scales comparatively large, about 130 (125 to 135) in a longitudinal series; pyloric 



cteca 50 to 80. kisutch, 776. 



Hypsifario, (i'i/<t, high ; Fario, tront) : 



aa. Gill rakers comparatively long and numerous (30 to 40 in number) ; scales lar^-e ; lateral 



line about 1.10; back in adults unspotted, clear blue in spring, red in fall; young 



more or less spotted. nebka, 777. 



