COPPER RIYER ITTVESTIGATION. 133 



a spawning place or even as a resting place for the salmon during 

 migration. They can find opportunity to rest for a brief time be- 

 hind rocks or in the small pools that recur practically everywhere 

 in the course of the river, but once having entered the ascent of the 

 stream they will not find it practicable to delay long or in consider- 

 able numbers until they reach what is known as the big eddy, which 

 is an expansion of the river with a number of islands and several 

 channels. It is located several mUes from the outlet of the lake; 

 between it and the lake the stream flows more gently and with 

 unbroken water of considerable depth. There are also several 

 eddies formed by expansions of the stream or by stretches of water 

 lying beli'nd projecting tongues of the bank. One of the most 

 favorable is opposite the camp and about one-half mile below the 

 actual entrance into the lake itself. 



On the projecting shore, upstream from this eddy, is a large 

 clearing with the remains of cabins, occupied by prospectors and 

 miners originally, but since then utiUzcd for various purposes. 

 Salmon-dr)'ing racks and net racks as well as fish platforms and net 

 stakes in the eddy indicate that this point has often been visited 

 previously for the taking of sahuon and their preparation. The 

 activities in this line are said to have been carried out by Indians 

 in part but most extensively by an outfit that fed do^ trains here 

 and at that time attempted to bar the river by stretching across it 

 a fence of wire netting. The strength of the current and the amount 

 of driftwood coming down promptly carried out the netting, but the 

 efforts to take fish by nets set in the eddy are said to have been 

 very successful. 



During the time spent at that camp, fish were constantly jumping 

 in the eddy on the opposite shore and occasionally in the water 

 near the shore above and below the eddy. It seemed as though the 

 red salmon gathered there to rest in their migration; they certainly 

 were abundant, for on one occasion, in setting out a net only 50 feet 

 long, two salmon were entangled in it before the entire net had left 

 the boat. At another time one dozen fish were caught in an hour. 

 They were all well-colored, fine, large fish and were measured 

 carefully, examined, ami utilized to obtain scales for future study. 



Thefish were jumping in this region, not only during the day but 

 also during the niglit and to some extent along both shores of the 

 river, so that migration was active at the period of the visit to this 

 point. 



SALMON CREEK ON LAKE KLUTINA. 



About 1^ miles from the outlet of Lake Klutina on the southeast 

 shore the stream known as Salmon Creek enters the lake. Its 

 water is visible some little distance away from its mouth, which is 

 partly hidden in low, boggy, and spruce-covered shores. The 

 stream itself is clear and entirely free from glacial waters so that 

 where it flows into the lake a transparent streak can be followed 

 for some little distance before it mixes thoroughly with the milky- 

 white waters of the lake itself. 



From a distance of at least one-quarter mile, on approaching 

 the inlet, a large brown bear was seen feeding on the shore. Alarmed 

 by the approach of the party he scurried off into the forest, but a 

 Vialf-eaten salmon was found at the water's edge where he was first 



