168 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



In this paper the names, spring, sockeye, coho, humpback and 

 dog will be used throughout. 



Before going on to the consideration of the individual species, 

 it might be well to give a rapid review of some of the literature bear- 

 ing on the work. 



Review of Literature 



Ever since Steller, in 1791, and Walbaum, in 1792, distinguished 

 the five species of Pacific salmon, much interest has been taken in the 

 genus and many articles have been written about one or all of the 

 species. In 1894, T. H. Bean published a bibliography in Bulletin 

 XII of the United States Fish Commission, in which reference is made 

 to all of the papers available that were published before the end of 

 1892. Apart from the diagnostic features, the run to the spawning 

 ground and some observations on spawning, these papers contain 

 little concerning the life-history of any of the species. Bean includes 

 practically all this information, at least in so far as it affects the 

 Alaska fisheries in his salmon papers of 1891 and 1894. 



A more detailed study of life-history, with more definite and more 

 extended observation began with the work of Evermann and his 

 associates in Idaho, and later at other points in the Columbia river 

 system, from 1894 to 1896. The work was largely confined to the 

 chinook, the sockeye or redfish and the little redfish or Kennedy's 

 salmon. Here for the first time convincing evidence was obtained as 

 to the death of these salmon soon after spawning. It was shown that 

 most of the fish obtained almost all of their wounds on the spawning 

 ground. In 1897, Stone added some data on the time and nature of 

 the spawning of the quinnat. In 1899 and 1902, Moser gave extensive 

 reports on the nature of salmon runs in Alaska. In 1900, Rathbun, 

 after acting on the International Commission, gave a lengthy review 

 of the fisheries in the contiguous waters of the State of Washington 

 and British Columbia, in which he dealt at length on the habits of the 

 five species of salmon. He gave more information as to the supposed 

 salt-water life of these fish than had been given previously, but as all 

 the information was hearsay, it had not the same value as if it had been 

 from personal observation. Rutter's contribution to the natural 

 history of the quinnat salmon in 1904, based on observations made on 

 the Sacramento river, added much to the information available for this 

 species. The work on migration was especially valuable. The spawn- 

 ing habits and the habits, food, etc., of the fry were carefully observed. 



In 1911, Cobb, in his paper on "Salmon Industries of the Pacific 

 Coast," gave a comprehensive statement of the life-history of the 



