3i8 The Trouts of America 



however, being the only one of them with a native 

 habitat west of the Mississippi River. This 

 pecuHar marking will enable the Western angler 

 to distinguish the Dolly Varden from our Eastern 

 trout {fontinalis\ which, perhaps, has been pro- 

 fusely planted in his stream, and do a like ser- 

 vice to the Eastern angler, should he meet with 

 the Western charr in the waters east of the Alle- 

 ghanies, where it will probably be planted, if not 

 already introduced in isolated cases. 



The Dolly Varden is somewhat quaint and 

 rich in its popular nomenclature. It was so called 

 by the wife of a hotel keeper on the Sacramento 

 River, who, seeing the bright coloration of the 

 fish for the first time, exclaimed, " Why, it is 

 a Dolly Varden ! " in allusion to the variegated 

 garb in which Charles Dickens clothed one of his 

 heroines. It also has the names of Oregon charr, 

 bull-trout, red-spotted trout, malma, and golet. 

 The general color of this trout is olivaceous, and 

 the fins are dusky with the whitish strip in front, 

 as appears on those of the Eastern charr; but 

 the Dolly Varden is without the wormlike mark- 

 ings on the back, like those on fontinalis. 

 Sea-run specimens, growing to twelve or more 

 pounds, are silvery with the red spots either faint 



