The Sebago Salmon 



waisted, no loins, but all body, and not long of terminating — 

 the shorter still the better — in a tail sharp and pointed as Diana's 

 when she is crescent in the sky." 



The salmon reaches an immense size. The largest of which 

 we have seen a record was one of 83 pounds, brought to Lon- 

 don in 182 1. Perley mentions one of 60 pounds taken long ago 

 in the Restigouche. In the Penobscot examples of 40 pounds 

 have been taken, though that weight is very unusual. The 

 maximum weight of those taken in Maine rivers now does not 

 exceed 25 pounds, and the average is about 10 pounds. 



The catch of salmon by anglers in the Penobscot Pool at 

 Bangor in 1893 was 87 fish, with a total weight of 1,477^ pounds. 

 The largest weighed 30 pounds, and the average was nearly 17 

 pounds. The catch in 1900 was 67 fish, with a total weight of 

 970 pounds. The largest weighed 2^^ pounds, and the average 

 was nearly 14^^ pounds. 



Head 4; depth 4; Br. 11; D. 11; A. 9; scales 23-120-21; ver- 

 tebrae 60; pyloric coeca about 65; gillrakers 8+12=20. Body 

 moderately elongate, symmetrical, not much compressed; head 

 rather low; mouth moderate, the maxillary reaching just past the 

 eye; in young the maxillary is proportionately shorter; preopercle 

 with a distinct lower limb, the angle rounded; scales compara- 

 tively large, rather larger posteriorly, silvery and well imbricated 

 in the young, becoming embedded in the adult males. Colour, in 

 adult, brownish above, the sides more or less silvery, with numer- 

 ous black spots on head, body and fins, and red spots or 

 patches on sides in males; the "parr" with about 11 dusky or 

 bluish crossbars, besides red patches and black spots; the colour, 

 as well as the form of the head and body varying much with 

 age, food and condition; the black spots in the adult often 

 X-shaped or XX-shaped. 



In the lakes of Maine, New Hampshire and New Brunswick 

 and in Lake St. John, the Saguenay and neigbouring waters in 

 Quebec, the salmon is represented by 2 land-locked forms, one 

 in each region, which are here recognized as species. 



Sebago Salmon 



. Salmo sebago (Girard) 



The sebago salmon receives this name from Sebago Lake, the 

 locality from which it was first described. It originally occurred in 



168 



