COPPER RI\T:E mVESTIGATION. 137 



About 200 yards farther west was a similar inlet, smaller in size, 

 being only 15 feet in width and 2 to 3 feet in depth. The water 

 became clear about 50 yards from the outlet. In this inlet, which is 

 a small affair %\'ith a good gravel bottom and no risible inflow, lying 

 just outside the mouth of the west branch of the Upper Klutina, 

 several nests were observed, 25 or more dead fish lay around, and 

 about half as many living fish were playing in the water. . 



A striking contrast with these conditions was afforded by a big 

 slough 'w^th several long arms which was situated 100 yards farther on. 

 It had a good gravel bottom, well cleaned off, with a width of about 

 75 feet, and the water was 3 to 5 feet deep. There was a very scanty 

 inflow over a small beaver dam near the head. Much more plant 

 growth was present than in the other inlets previously visited. 

 Several ducks were seen feedino; in the waters, and a couple of little 

 fish darted away in front of the canoe. This slough was reaUy a 

 lateral pocket from the westernmost branch of the Upper Klutina 

 River, which, in fact, empties into the lake jointly with it. Tliis 

 branch of the river was explored at a later date, and the account 

 may be left here in order to continue a description of the series of 

 inlets. 



Turning again eastward along the rounded southern end of the 

 lake, the next inlet proved to be another arm of the lOutina. In 

 paddling up this arm for a considerable distance, some shallow lateral 

 pockets were explored all of which proved to be filled with milky 

 water and contained frequent patches of grass and brush. In these 

 were seen no signs of salmon nor, indeed, of any other fish. This 

 branch of the lUutina soon became very narrow, with brush projecting 

 clear across the channel of the shallow stream, which increased in 

 swiftness until further progress became impracticable. 



Some 200 yards farther on another small anii of the Klutina, 

 called the Third Channel, was encoimtered. After working up a few 

 hundred yards without seeing any signs of fish whatever, the party 

 was compelled to turn back because of obstructions. Tliis is clearly 

 an old and well-established channel of the river. 



Nearly half a mile farther along the fourtii channel was entered. 

 It was broken up into numerous smaller winding channels, which 

 were swift and shallow and which joined and separated at brief 

 intervals. The variation in depth and the swiftness of the current 

 made navigation exceedingly difficult. Small overflow ponds lay 

 here and there on the flats, some still connectc^d with the stream, 

 others evidently filled at a higher stage and now separated from the 

 channel by sand bars. A couple of small rocky islands separated 

 this group of channels from the main stream of the Upper Klutina 

 River, which lies almost against the mountain on the east side of the 

 valley. This main river is broken into fragments by bars, some 

 easily seen, and others lying just below the surface, not visible in 

 the muddy water. This channel carried more water than all of 

 those seen previously. In it the current was powerful, but relatively 

 smooth. This branch of the river was followed up for a couple of 

 miles without showing any evidence of the presence or movement of 

 Balmon. No streams emptying into it were found, and the bays and 

 backwaters were all of them devoid of traces of salmon, either present 



