202 The Trouts of America 



at any other period of the year. The same 

 is true of the sea salmon and all others of 

 the same family, including those of the Rocky 

 Mountains and other waters of the far West, 

 and doubtless nature has bestowed upon the 

 male trout increased beauty of coloration dur- 

 ing the erotic period to enhance his charms 

 and render his amours more fascinating to the 

 female. 



Thus it will be seen that coloration is not 

 to be depended upon in distinguishing species, 

 there being seldom found a trout which in all 

 its stages of development will present an uniform 

 coloration. The prevailing marking of all young 

 salmonoids, trout particularly, is the dark bars 

 running transversely across the body. These 

 disappear when the fish reaches a length of six 

 to eight inches, and yet I found the trout of 

 Elk Creek, Montana, to retain these markings at 

 all stages of their growth. 



Again, the properties of the water, its depth 

 and slowness or rapidity of current, have a visible 

 effect upon the coloration of trout. On the 

 Ontonagon River, Michigan, about twelve miles 

 north of the Wisconsin line, there is a quiet 

 stretch of water nearly two hundred feet in 



