PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 39 



55. Salmo purpuratus Pallas. — Oregon Brook Trout ; Salmon Trout; Lake Trout. 



(Salmo clarki Ricli.) 

 Yery abundant in all waters north of Mount Shasta and through the 

 Great Basin and Rocky Mountain region ; occasional southward to Santa 

 Cruz. Found in abundance in salt water in Puget Sound and about 

 the mouth of the Columbia. It is usually seen of but 2 to 8 or 10 pounds 

 in weight, but occasional specimens weighing as much as 25 pounds are 

 taken in the Columbia in summer {C J. Smith). These latter are known 

 usually as steel-heads, although the common steel-head is ^'. gairdneri; 

 the young as brook-trout, and the partly grown as salmon-trout. This 

 is the most widely distributed of our trout, and it is subject to many 

 variations. 



56. Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walb.) J. & G. — Coho Salmon of Frazer's Birer ; Silver 



Salmon; Ki-iutch; Bidaya Ryha. Skewitz. 



Sacramento Eiver to Puget Sound and northward; very abundant in 

 summer and fall. It is rarely taken in the Columbia in the spring, but 

 great numbers run up the river in the fall. It is one of the smallest of 

 the salmon, reaching a length of about 30 inches and a weight of 4 to 

 8 pounds. As a food fish it ranks with the young of 0. chouicha, which 

 it much resembles. It may be readily distinguished by the few (40-50) 

 pyloric coeca. In 0. chouicha there are about 180 pyloric coeca. In fall 

 the males become greatly distorted and hook-jawed, and specimens in 

 every stage can be found in late summer. 



57. Oncorhynchus chouicha (Walb.) J. &G. — Quinnat Salmon ; King Salmon; Choui- 



cha; Chinnook Salmon ; Spring Salmon ; Columbia Miver Salmon ; Sacramento 

 Salmon; Winter Salmon; White Salmon. Sawkwey. 



From Ventura River northward to Behring's Straits, ascending Sacra- 

 mento, Rogue's, Klamath, Columbia, and Frazer's Rivers in spring, as 

 well as the streams of Alaska, Kamtschatka, Japan, and Northern 

 China; in fall ascending these and probably all other rivers in greater 

 or less abundance; the young taken in Monterey Bay, Puget Sound, 

 etc., in summer in considerable numbers. This salmon, by far the most 

 important fish in our Pacific waters, reaches a weight of about 70 pounds. 

 The average in the Columbia River is about 22 i^ounds ; in the Sacra- 

 mento River about 18; in other rivers usually still smaller. 



58. Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum) Gill & Jordan. — Blue-lack; Sukkeye; Bed-fish; 



Bascal; Frazer's Biver Salmon ; Krasnaya Byia. 



From Columbia River to the Aleutian Islands ; the principal salmon 

 of Frazer's River; unknown in Eel River, Rogue River, and in the 

 Sacramento. In the Columbia River it is much less abundant than the 

 Quinnat salmon, and its flesh is less firm and paler. It reaches a weight 

 of 5 to 8 pounds, four "blue-backs" being counted at the canneries 

 equal to one Chinnook salmon. It runs chiefly in the spring, few of 

 them being seen on Frazer's River or the Columbia in the fall. Like 

 the Quinnat it ascends streams to great distances. It is known in the 



