46 FISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 



species. The colors of both sexes become brighter, brown, orange, 

 and yellow and blue appearing on the bodies, especially the male, and 

 faint orange spots appear on the tail, which at other times is spotless. 

 The salmon practically cease feeding at this time. They probably 

 do not breed oftener than every other year. 



The salmon of First Connecticut Lake probably spawn in the Main 

 Inlet. Judging from their size, young salmon remain on the spawn- 

 ing grounds or in the streams for one, two, or even three years. 

 Salmon parrs frequently have red spots on the side. 



By many it is considered necessary to screen lakes to retain land- 

 locked salmon. This seems wholly unnecessary unless it is desired 

 to restrict all to the lake. Some young salmon will be carried dow^n- 

 stream by freshet, and under favorable conditions others will vol- 

 untarily go down into outlets of lakes, but will not traverse un- 

 congenial places for any great distance. Occasionally one or more, 

 perhaj^s, may make their way to salt water, but not in sufficient num- 

 bers to deplete the lake. Then, too, the screens usually employed will 

 prevent onh" large fish from entering the outlet, and not being fine 

 enough to prevent young salmon from passing through are, therefore, 

 a useless expense. 



Fig. 3. — Rainbow trout, female. 



16. Rainbow Trout. Salmo indeus Gibbons. 

 Plate X aud fig. 3. 



Head 4.66 in lengtli without caudal ; depth 3.50 ; eye 4.66 in head ; snout about 

 4 ; dorsal 11 ; anal 11 ; scales 21-135 to 140-20. 



Head short and deep ; snout short ; mouth large, maxillary not quite reaching 

 to below posterior margin of eye ; vomerine teeth in 2 irregular rows ; body 

 short and deep ; caudal peduncle rather deep, about 2 in head ; dorsal origin a 

 little nearer tip of suout than base of caudal ; length of dorsal base 7.5 in length 

 of body without caudal, slightly exceeding longest ray ; last dorsal ray 2 in 

 longest ; anal base- a little less than 2 in head, the longest ray about equaling 

 longest dorsal ray. 



Upper parts greenish blue, sometimes purplish ; sides more or less sih-ei-y, and 

 profusely spotted with small black spots which are most numerous above the 

 lateral line; head, dorsal, adipose, and caudal also black-spotted. In the 

 spring breeding season the broad crimson lateral band becomes brighter, and the 

 sides of both sexes are iridescent purplish. (After Beau.) 



