14 V. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



wliitefisli, from 3 to 44 pounds in -weight, plump and healthy, were 

 produced, and from them a large number of eggs were taken, a fair 

 percentage of which were fertilized. The fish were- treated as are 

 young trout, being fed wholly on liver. 



Equally sucocessful tests have been made in Europe with one of 

 the native whitefishes {Corcgonns Javanfus), and noteworthy re- 

 sults have been attained in the rearing of whitefish under private 

 enterprise in ponds at Warren, Ind. It has been found that in 

 rearing the fry the water temperature should not exceed 55° F. 

 and that a temperature of 65° is fatal. 



THE GRAYLINGS. 



The grayling is one of the most attractive and gamy of the fresh- 

 water hshes. Three species have been described from North Ameri- 

 can waters — Thi/mallus sigynfer of Alaska and the Mackenzie River 

 region, T. montanus of Montana, and T. ontanensis of Michigan. 

 They are all closely related to the Salmonidae in habits and general 

 appearance but differ in the character of the skeleton. 



RANGE. 



The Arctic grayling {ThymalJus signifer) is found from the Mac- 

 kenzie River westward through Alaska and north to the Arctic 

 Ocean. The Montana grayling (7\ montanus) originally existed 

 only in the streams emptying into the Missouri River above the 

 Great Falls, principally in Smith or Deep River and its tributaries 

 and the three forks of the Missouri — the Jefferson, ]\Iadison, and 

 Gallatin Rivers — and their affluents. Its range has since been con- 

 siderably extended through the agency of fish culture. The Michi- 

 gan grayling {Thymallus ontariensk) was formerly found only in 

 certain streams of Michigan, though the type specimen is said to 

 have come from Lake Ontario. Though once abundant in many 

 streams in the southern peninsula of Michigan, it has now entirely 

 disappeared from the waters of that section. The opinion is ex- 

 pressed by observers that the introduction of the nonindigenous 

 brook trout and rainbow trout has been a factor of importance in 

 their disappearance. Grayling still occur in the Otter River and 

 possibl}' in other streams in the northern peninsula of Michigan. 



DESCRIPTION. 



In Montana waters its body is elongated, compressed, the depth 

 contained four and one-half times in the length. The subconic head 

 is of moderate size and its length is one-fifth that of the body. The 

 dorsal outline from snout to tail is a uniform gentle curve, highest 

 at the beginning of the dorsal fui. The mouth is oblique, terminal, 

 and of moderate size : rather feeble teeth, of uniform size, occur on 

 jaws, palatines, and vomer. The short and stiff' gill rakers number 

 17. The eye is large, exceeding length of snout, and is contained 

 three and one-half times in length of head. From 82 to 85 scales are 

 found along the lateral line, 8 rows above and 10 rows below the 

 line. The dorsal fin is long and high and contains 18 to 21 rays; 

 both its length and height equal the depth of body. The caudal is 

 stronglv forked. The coloration is gorgeous. The color of the back 



'»'. 



