The Salmon Family 205 



known as the variety cis-montanus. It is bluish 

 or greenish on the back, sides silvery, belly white. 

 All of the fins are tipped with black ; caudal and 

 adipose fins are steel-blue. 



I know this fish only from the streams of Mon- 

 tana, where it coexists with the red-throat trout and 

 grayling. It spawns in the fall. It feeds on in- 

 sects and their larv^, small crustaceans, and the 

 eggs of other fishes. It grows to about a foot in 

 length, usually, and to a pound in weight, though 

 I have taken much larger specimens. It is a 

 very fair food-fish, — as good, I think, as the 

 red-throat trout, as its fiesh is firmer and flaky, 

 and devoid of any muddy or musky flavor. 



It rises to the artificial fly as readily as the 

 trout or grayling, and to the same flies, though a 

 little more partial to small, dark, or grayish ones, 

 as black, brown, and gray hackles, black gnat, 

 oriole, gray drake, etc. When the streams are 

 higher and not so clear, lighter-colored flies are 

 useful, as professor, coachman, Henshall, miller, 

 etc. Light trout fly-rods and tackle are used 

 both for fly- and bait-fishing by Rocky Mountain 

 anglers, — the bait, when used, being the larva of 

 the caddis-fly, and known as " rockworm." Grass- 

 hoppers are employed in the late summer and 



