THE FISHES OF ALASKA. 



263 



Body compressed ; caudal peduncle deep; head rather short ; maxillary extending scarcely beyond 

 eye; teeth fairly strong on maxillary, premaxillaries, palatines, vomer, mandible, and tongue, those 

 on vomer in two rows. 



Body rather profusely covered with small black spots nio.st numerous above lateral line; top and 

 upper part of side of head with ievr small round Ijlack spots; dorsal and caudal with black spots; anal 

 dusky, unspotted; pectorals and ventrals immaculate; side with a red stripe in lite. 

 . Two other somewhat smaller specimens possess the same characters. 



An example (no. 3020) from Klawak in life had on the side a broad rich rosy band extending 

 across the cheek and along the lateral line to base of caudal fin; no red on throat; back and side pro- 

 fusely spotted with small round black spots, quite uniformly distributed; caudal fin and peduncle 

 thickly spotted. 



We have examined 34 other specimens of rainliow trout from Southeast Alaska and find them to 

 agree essentially with the specimens above described. Most of tliem are from Lake McDonald and 

 vicinity, where they were collected in 1905 by Mr. Burchani. Numerous other examples were examined 

 in 1903 at Klawak and Loring. Occasionally an individual in prime condition shows more or less red 

 or orange on the throat, but ordinarily this mark is indistinct or wholly absent. The bright tip of the 

 anal, ventral, and dorsal fins, however, is usually present, and this, together with the large scales. 

 absence of red on the throat, and rosy side, will usually suffice to distinguish the Alaska rainbow from 

 the Alaska cutthroat, though the two species are exceedingly close to each other. The rainbow attains 

 the larger size. The largest examples seen by us were about 2 feet long. One taken at Klawak was 32 

 inches long, and, as already stated, Mr. H. F. Swift says he has seen several weighed 5 pounds and one 

 that weighed 8 pounds. 



The Alaska rainbow trout stands easily among the finest of game fishes. It is certainly one of 

 the best, if not the best, in Alaska. Expert anglers fishing in Naha Stream, at Yes Bay and Klawak, pro- 

 nounce it the gamest trout they have ever caught. It takes the fly readily, not with a dash or rush, but 

 rather quietly. When once hooked, however, it fights most savagely, jumping often, and is veiy hard 

 to wear out. 



35. Cristi vomer namaycush. (Walbaum). Great Lakes Trout; Lake Trout. 



The lake trout is doubtless found in all suitable waters in the Yukon basin. An individual weighing 

 7.25 pounds was taken in Lake Bennett, one of 11 pounds at Log Cabin, and we have seen specimens from 

 Tagish Arm and Lake Atlin. An example was caught by Dr. Harold Heath in Summit Lake at ^\^lite 

 Pass, July 20, and one of good size was taken in Tagish Arm near Caribou Crossing July 19, by trolling, 

 which is the usual method of capture. Townsend (1887) records this species from a lake at the head of 



Fig. 13. — Cristivonier namaycush (Walbaum). 



Kobuk River, and states that it reaches a length of 3.5 feet or more. He did not find it in the Kobuk 

 River. The fish apparently attains a-s large size in Alaska as in the Great Lakes, for examples weighing 

 30 to 40 pounds have lieen reported. It is of considerable commercial importance in this region, large 

 numbers being shipped, particularly from Lake Atlin, tii Dawson. 



The lake trout can 1)P readily distinguished from all other Alaskan Salmonida? by the presence 

 of a raised crest behind the head of the vomer and free from its shaft, and bj' the color, which is dark 

 gray, sometimes pale, sometimes almost black, everywhere with rounded paler spots which are often 

 reddisli tinged: head usually a ermiculated aliove; dorsal and caudal reticulate with darker. 



