66 SCIENCE SKETCHES. 



fifteen pounds. The largest one of which I find 

 a record was taken on the coast of Ireland in 

 1 88 1, and weighed eighty-four and three-fourths 

 pounds. 



The salmon is found in Europe between the lati- 

 tude of 45° and 75°. In the United States it is 

 now rarely seen south of Cape Cod, although for- 

 merly the Hudson and numerous other rivers were 

 salmon streams. Over-fishing, obstructions in the 

 rivers, and pollution of the water by manufactories 

 and by city sewage are agencies against which the 

 salmon cannot cope. 



Seven species of salmon (as distinguished from 

 trout) are recognized by Dr. Giinther in Europe, 

 and three in America. The landlocked forms, 

 abundant in Norway, Sweden, and Maine, which 

 cannot, or at least do not, descend to the sea, are 

 regarded by him as distinct species. ** The ques- 

 tion," observes Dr. Giinther, " whether any of the 

 migratory species can be retained by artificial 

 means in fresh water, and finally accommodate 

 themselves to a permanent sojourn therein, must 

 be negatived for the present." On this point I 

 am compelled to disagree with Dr. Giinther. I 

 have compared numerous specimens of the com- 

 mon landlocked salmon {Salmo salar sebagd) of 

 the lakes of Maine and New Brunswick with land- 

 locked salmon {Salmo salar hardini) from the 

 lakes of Sweden, and with numerous migratory 

 salmon, both from America and Europe. I can 

 have no hesitation in regarding them all as specifi- 

 cally identical. The difi"erences are very trivial in 

 kind, and not greater than would be expected on 



