48 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



fall of 4i inches between July 23 and August 2. On August 8, li inches had 

 been recovered from the heavy rains of the day. July 1, 1909, it had fallen 

 at least 2 feet from the high of the season. 



Immediately east of Creek 24 are two indentations. The one visited proved 

 to be a lagoon, its water scarcely flowing out of it into the lake. Salmon 

 bones of the preceding season were seen on the gravel beach outside of it. 

 The other indentation is probably of a similar nature, perhaps with an unim- 

 portant creek. 



Creek 25. — August 8, 1909. Farther eastward of Creek 24 a long, shallow 

 bight receives Creeks 25 and 26. Its western portion has shallow flats. Creek 

 25 has a very narrow mouth overgrown by bushes and is of the swift-current 

 type, carrying no salmon. None was seen in the creek, either living or dead, 

 nor any close to the moutli. Nevertheless, on tlie flats there were many. At 

 the eastern end of the bight a rounded gravel point makes almost perpen- 

 dicularly down into the lake. Here a large vessel could almost dock against the 

 shore. INIany salmon were .schooling along this shore. 



Creek 26. — August 8, 1909. No salmon were seen in this small creek. It has 

 a little lagoon mouth a short distance east of Creek 25. Between Creeks 25 

 and 26 the beach is terraced with small gravel as left by the fall of the lake 

 level. Many old salmon bones were confined mainly to the gravel, which was 

 not continuous between the two creeks. 



For some miles eastward of Creek 26 along the south shore of the lake there 

 are no streams. At this date the fall of the lake level had exposed a border 

 of fine gravel just above the water's edge along this region. 



Somewhere between Creeks 26 and 27 there is a bay, which was entered July 

 28, 1908, but no creek could be found. A considerable school of red salmon 

 in spawning color was working on a bottom of large stones and some seemed 

 to be spawning. Red-salmon fry were seen here. Eggs were not certainly iden- 

 tified. For a long distance salmon were seen broaching off shore, and it 

 seems probable there is some shore spawning here. 



Creek 27. — August 8, 1908. This stream is opposite the main inlet across the 

 lake and is an interesting example of the streams carrying few or no salmon. It 

 has a steep gra(io, good bottom, strong current, and water enough to maintain 

 a hatchery. The temperature was 42° F. There were many salmon off its 

 mouth, but only two alive and one dead were seen in the stream. One only of 

 the two was in spawning color. The very narrow mouth had a number of 

 dead salmon around it. Much underbrush and deadfalls made it difficult to 

 ascend the creek bed. 



Why do the salmon refuse this stream? Many smaller ones with no better 

 gravel beds had many spawning fish at this date and earlier. The answer may 

 be that it is too swift and torrential for proper spawning, though salmon are 

 able to stem its current, and its mouth, though narrow, is sufficiently accessible. 

 One may compare certain creeks flowing into Chilkoot Lake in southeast 

 Alaska, Avhich appear admirable in all conditions except an abundance, of 

 quiet places but which take no salmon whatever ; but compare also Creek 16, 

 which also has a steep grade, but has many»salmon. It, however, contains more 

 resting places and quiet spawning pools. The temperature of the lake water at 

 the surface 100 yards off-shore, beyond Creek 27, at 8 p. m., was 54° F. 



Creek 2S. — Aug'ust 8, 1908. It is about 1 mile east of Creek 27 and of about 

 the same size and type. Temperature at mouth 43i° F. The mouth was nar- 

 row, discharging over the beach gravel Avithout a channel. A former channel 

 at the mouth was nearly obliterated, and the creek made a right angle turn 

 just before debouching. The wash of a storm, or perhaps ice, may have blocked 

 the former mouth, which had become a seepage through gravel and larger 

 stones. The current was swift, and the bed rose rapidly. No fish were seen in 

 the hundred feet examined. Entrance without the channel would be difficult. 



Creek 29. — August 8, 1908. Farther east of Creek 28 there is a lagoon inside 

 the shore line. At this date after a seasonal fall of at least 40 inches it was 

 barely above the lake level and delivering only a trickle of water. The land 

 about was very low. It has been claimed there is a connection between Lake 

 Aleknagik and Snake River Basin, and these conditions gave some hint of this. 

 At this time on account of darkness no stream was identified, but the trickle 

 of one could be heard flowing into the lagoon. However, on July 1. 1909. 

 the place was again visited. The lagoon mouth was then 3 feet deep and 

 three small creeks were delivering into it, while the lake level was only 6 inches 

 below the high water for the season. It is therefore highly improbable that 

 there is any seasonal overflow from this point to another basin. Two of the 



