78 KENDALL: NEW ENGLAND SALMONS. 



cent, averaging 18.4 per cent. Two of the three kelts taken in December showed losses 

 of three-quarters and one per cent, and one a gain of one pound, probably due to faulty 

 weighing. 



Of the 36 female kelt, 32 which were gone over winter were absent from 5.7 to 7.7 

 months, averaging about 6.6 months. The four captured in December showed an average 

 gain of 0.6 pound. Omitting two kelts with impossible gains of ten and 16 pounds, 12 

 kelt gained from one-half to sL\ pounds, averaging slightly over 2.25 pounds, or a gain 

 of 24.1 per cent, 12 others showed a loss of from one-half to 2.5 pounds, averaging 1.3 

 pounds, or a loss of 13.2 per cent, and sLx showed no change. The 30 kelt in all gave an 

 average gain of 0.38 pounds, or 4.4 per cent. 



The females which were gone over winter differed from the males in respect to increase 

 in weight, only 40 per cent showing a loss as compared with 100 per cent for the males. 

 They were taken later, 56 per cent being taken in June as against 11 per cent for the 

 males. 



SALMON ANGLING. 



A Brief History of New England Salmon Rivers. 



Atkins wrote that the sea-going salmon of eastern North America was indigenous to 

 nearly every large or small river tributary to the Atlantic Ocean north of the Hudson, 

 and that the only streams of sufficient size to afford full-grown salmon ample room in 

 which to live and move during the summer drought that afforded exceptions to the 

 former universal prevalence of the species in this region were those that do not contain 

 suitable breeding grounds, or those in which breeding grounds are inaccessible to salmon 

 owing to the intervention of impassable falls. 



Atkins enumerated 28 'Salmon' rivers from the western border of Connecticut and 

 Massachusetts to the eastern border of Maine, and said that the hst would be increased 

 by the addition of quite a number of streams were their history known. Of the 28 streams 

 formerly frequented by salmon, it was stated that there were barely eight in which, at 

 the time of writing, salmon were to any extent regular visitors. The disappearance of 

 salmon from most of these rivers appears to have been entirely the result of artificial 

 causes, chief among which were obstructions of the way to their breeding ground by 

 impassable dams, and pollution. 



The New England rivers formerly frequented by salmon listed by Atkins (1874, 

 p. 289-327) were the following, named in order from the south, northward: 



Housatonic River. — Salmon disappeared from this river many years ago. There is a 

 record of plenty about 1750; about 1868 one of seven or eight pounds was reported to 

 have been caught below the dam at Stratford. 



Quinntpaic River. — It is not known when salmon disappeared from this river. 

 According to Atkins two small fish were taken there in 1872 and 1873 respectively, 

 which were supposed to have been the results of recent introduction of young fish. 



Hammonassett River. — Concerning this river there are no definite records. 



