PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 193 569 



failure of the 1928 brood to reappear in the abundance indicated by 

 the unusually large catch (for fish of its age) in the previous year. 

 This emphasizes the need for a more accurate method of determin- 

 ing the abundance of a brood while it is still at an early age. The 

 survey of survival of larvae on spawning grounds provided by the 

 oceanographic work of the Alhafross II may help to fill this need, as 

 data on more seasons accumulate. 



NEW ENGLAND SMELT 



Since the publication of The Smelts (Bureau of Fisheries Docu- 

 ment Noi. 1015) in 1927, Dr. W. C. Kendall has been intermittently 

 engaged in a study of various problems pertaining to those fish. 

 Early in the summer of 1929 he was detailed to accompany Mac- 

 Millan on an expedition to Baffin Land, which again interrupted the 

 work on the smelts. Following his return from the north, unavoid- 

 ■ able circumstances prevented resumption of the study except for occa- 

 sional brief periods of work on the manuscript which has now reached 

 its final stage. The manuscript comprises three major sections: 

 (1) History of the classification of the smelts and an analytical dis- 

 cussion of the different nominal species and their variants of the genus 

 Osmerus; (2) analysis of the data pertaining to the relationship of 

 the smelts of eastern North America; (3) life histories of the smelts 

 based on scale reading and sizes of the fish. 



TROUT AND CHARRS 



Another study, begun years ago by Doctor Kendall and continued 

 interruptedly to the present time, pertains to the charrs of which the 

 so-called eastern brook trout is the best known example. One prob- 

 lem connected with the latter species is that of the relationship of 

 the '• Salter " or " sea-run " trout to the brook trout. While a dif- 

 ference of habit has been noted, no diiference of structure has been 

 discerned. 



The " Salter " is a fo?iti)UiIis type of trout in which the habit of 

 passing a considerable part of the year in salt w^ater has become fixed. 

 In spring or early summer it appears in tidal creeks and fresh water 

 sections thereof apparently in pursuit of food. In certain streams 

 of Maine where they are now far from as abundant as they used to 

 be, their appearance has been observed to be concurrent with the 

 appearance of the translucent stage of young eels, known as " elvers," 

 with which they have often been found to be gorged. 



This " sea-run '' habit is more pronounced or at least more conspic- 

 uous, perhaps from great abundance of fish, in Canadian and New- 

 foundland waters. It would almost seem that the habit is a heredi- 

 tary trait not shared in by all of the species, and that the salters 

 may be regarded as a " physiological race." 



ATLANTIC AND LANDLOCKED SALMON 



Another piece of work, by Doctor Kendall, like that pertaining to 

 the smelts, has suffered from protracted interruptions. The work 

 referred to is the preparation of a " Memoir " on the Atlantic and 

 landlocked salmons to be published as Part II of the Salmonidse 



