136 FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



is particularly abundant in the upper tributaries of the Catawba and in the 

 Swannanoa and other affluents of the French Broad. 



The brook trout is emphatically a cold-water fish, thriving best in clear 

 mountain streams with a maximum temperature of 50° F., although in some 

 places it flourishes in short coastal rivers and runs to salt water in winter. Its 

 food consists largely of insects, worms, and crustaceans. While the species reaches 

 a length of 18 to 24 inches, in North Carolina it is of comparatively small size. 



The spawning time is in autumn, and the spawning beds are shallow places 

 near the banks of streams. The female makes a kind of nest in the gravel, and 

 guards the eggs during incubation. The eggs average about ,15 inch in diameter, 

 and the number laid varies from a few hundred to several thousand, depending 

 on the size of the parent. The hatching period is about 50 days in water of 50 

 degrees temperature. 



Fig. 46. Brook Trout. Salvelinus fontinalis. 



This is a prime favorite with anglers in all parts of the country, and is one of 

 the choicest of food fishes. Excellent trout fishing is afforded in the western 

 part of North Carolina, and the number of fishermen coming from outside the 

 state is increasing yearly. Trout streams are among the most valuable resources 

 of a region; and it behooves the state to encourage the influx of sportsmen and 

 tourists by keeping all suitable waters well stocked and protecting them in the 

 interest of anglers. Mention should be made of the trout waters in the "Sap- 

 phire country". The three artificial lakes — Toxaway, Sapphire, and Fairfield — 

 on the property of the Toxaway Compan}' in Transylvania County have been 

 stocked with both brook trout and rainbow trout, and the streams entering those 

 lakes and in the vicinity also contain these fish. 



Genus SALMO Linnaeus. Salmons and Trouts. 



Most of the fresh-water and migratory trouts of the Old World and America, 

 together with the Atlantic salmon of Europe and America and the landlocked 

 salmon* of Maine and Canada, belong in this genus. The elongate, compressed 



♦The introduction of the landlocked or Sebago salmon into the mountainous waters of the state is con- 

 templated. 



