150 KENDALL: NEW ENGLAND SALMONS. 



attained a maximum weight of 18 pounds and the usual weights were ten to 16 pounds. 

 These weights compare very favorably with those of sea salmon in many rivers on both 

 sides of the Atlantic. 



There have been many reports of sahnon from Sebago Lake, Maine, weighing from 

 ten to 20 pounds and of a few stUl larger. For this lake the largest on record are two, 

 taken during fish cultural operations, which according to B. B. Jones (1908, p. 8), 'Were 

 respectively of the following dimensions and weights: 39 and 35 inches long; 11 and nine 

 inches deep; 353^^ and 313k^ pounds in weight. The largest taken by an angler weighed 

 223/^ pounds. Such sizes do not support the generaUzation that lake salmon are dwarfed 

 fish. However, there is no doubt but that in some waters there are races of salmon 

 which do not attain a large size and may be regarded as dwarfed in those particular 

 instances. 



The Lake St. John, or Saguenay fish, or ouananiche, average a httle over two and one- 

 half pounds, according to Creighton (1892, p. 90-92). 'Four-pound fish were numerous 

 enough a few years ago, but anything over that size is large, and only occasionally will a 

 six-pounder be found. Out of many thousands I have seen but one seven-pound fish; 

 it was twenty-seven inches in length, and a very lank specimen. If properly filled out, 

 it would have weighed nine or ten pounds. This soUtary instance gives one some faith 

 in the stories of the large size of the Wananishe when the region was first settled, forty 

 years ago. Occasionally very large ones are seen feeding by themselves, but they are 

 extremely wary, and there is no authentic record of one above seven pounds, though 

 the late Senator David Price, of Chicoutimi, is said to have caught one of eleven pounds 

 in weight.' 



Grand Lake Stream. — Dr. Adams (1873, p. 202) stated that he, with a friend, visited 

 the region in August, 1866, to verify the reports that stunted salmon, averaging about 

 three pounds and rarely attaining seven pounds, existed there. 



Atkins (1884a, p. 43-44) says that at Grand Lake Stream, according to Norris, anglers' 

 scores of years ago were as follows : 



June, 1856, 634 fish averaged 1.38 pounds each 



" 1857, 452 " " 1.49 " 



" 1858,575 " " 1.42 " 

 May, 1865, 379 " " 1.33 " 



Atkins again states that the average weight of some hundreds each of males and 

 females taken at the spawning time in 1875 and 1876 was : 



That such great differences of average weight of the sexes did not always obtain is 

 shown by these figures given by Atkins: 



