70 FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 



waters: In the tributaries of Sugar River, in 1904, 10,000; in 1906, 

 ill Sunapee Lake, 15,000; and again in Sunapee Lake, in 1907, 

 40,000, aggregating 65,000. There is no evidence that these plants 

 were successful. 



Sunapee Lake and Sugar River are surely not suitable waters for 

 the fish, according to Dr. Henshall's statement regarding its require- 

 ments. The conditions of the tributaries of Sugar River referred to 

 are not known to the writer. Should the graylmg become acclimated 

 in these waters, it could hardly do any harm, as it is mainly an insect 

 feeder, and does not attam a large size. 



Smelt (Osmerus mordax). 



The common smelt is primarily an anadromous marine fish, the 

 geographical range of which is from Labrador south at least to New 

 Jersey, and it has been recorded from the Delaware. 



It abundantly ascends the St. Lawrence River, the rivers of New 

 Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine, and New Hampshire, to some extent 

 the streams of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, 

 and formerly New Jersey, especially in the latter State the Raritan 

 and Passaic Rivers. Even now brooks of Long Island are said to be 

 frequented by smelt. 



The smelt is of considerable commercial importance throughout its 

 present geographical distribution, as caught in traps, weirs, seines, 

 and in the winter through the ice with hook and line. Throughout 

 its range, at least as far southward as Massachusetts, it has become 

 landlocked ; that is, in times past, some have remained in fresh-water 

 lakes and ponds and formed a fresh-water race, which in breeding time 

 continues its anadromous habit of ascending tributary streams when- 

 ever possible, from its fresh-water sea. In a few ponds, however, it 

 spawns along the shores among the sedges and water plants. It has 

 even been claimed that smelt eggs have been obtained from deep 

 water, attached to sticks. This, however, is probably due to a mis- 

 taken identification of the objects. 



Fresh-water races. — In many lakes there are apparently two distinct 

 races of smelts, which possibly may be distinct species. In fact, the 

 fresh-water smelt may be specifically or subspecifically distinct from 

 the marine form, or there may be many distinct species in fresh waters, 

 as a number of lakes produce smelts which, in the absence of sufficient 

 material examined, seem to differ from the smelts of other fresh waters. 

 Cope long ago described two Maine lake forms as distinct species, 

 which have since been recognized in the books as subspecies of the 

 marine smelt. But the differences are sufficient to constitute distinct 

 species, at least until intergrading forms have been discovered. 



Therefore it is possible that the fresh-water smelts should all be 

 considered one or the other of Cope's species; but inasmuch as one of 



