132 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



There are few aii.iile-worins iu Oregon or Washington, perliaps none. 

 The writer has never been able to find tham there, yet they will proba- 

 bly be hereafter introduced by civilization. (Introduction of certain 

 ^vorms, bugs, &c., the concomitants of civilization, into new countries 

 by civilized emigrants, is by no means uncommon. Examples of this 

 are given by Darwin in his remarks on New Zealand ; vide Voyages of 

 a Naturalist.) 



Common raw meat is a very good bait for these trout— the tougher 

 the better ; we generally used the meat of a crow, killed for the purpose. 

 This flesh combines redness and a rank smell with its proverbial tough- 

 ness— all-important desiderata for " killing" bait. Grubs and the larvue 

 of wasps are also good bait, but troublesome. VThen the fish are capri- 

 cious we have frequently found good sport by trolling with one of the 

 belly-lins of a fresh-killed fish. 



On Puget Sound, in the vicinity of Fort Steilacooin, the writer had 

 the best sport. A much longer residence taught him the " ropes" better; 

 and besides, the rattlesnake was absent. Nearly every stream and brook 

 abounds iu trout ; all, except the salmon-trout, not yet described, of the 

 black-spotted species. Here we noticed many peculiarities distinguish- 

 ing this fish in habits from its Atlantic congener. Although fond of 

 running water, it seeks the more deep and less turbulent portions of the 

 stream, and it even does not eschew perfectly still water. AVhen a 

 youngster, we learned and practiced trout-fishing in those beautiful 

 tributaries of the Delaware, the Beaverkill, and Willa-weemock,in Sul- 

 livan and Delaware Counties, New York. There the trout delight iu 

 fierce water, and if found below a violent rapid, or a waterfall, they 

 may be caught almost always just outside the strength of the current, , 

 but not by any means are they fond of the stUl water, a little farther 

 below the rapids, unless, indeed, the weather be very cold 5 or if in : 

 summer, during the shades of evening, when they repair to the more 

 ])lacid water, that they may the more readily perceive insects and other rl 

 floating food. But in Washington Territory the brook-trout seems more | 

 fond of moderate currents, or of places that are perfectly still, where j 

 the waters are well shaded and deep ; and it is rare indeed for the angler 1 

 to have good sport at the immediate foot of a rapid or fall. One of the ( 

 best spots for trout-fishing in the neighborhood of Fort Steilacoom is a li 

 small portion of the stream running through " Melville's claim." near the J 

 "Government garden." This place is where the water of the stream is -' 

 very sluggish, and almost choked up by lily-pads and grass. There n 

 are here but few trees, and the brook only averages 15 feet in width by \| 

 about 4 in t^epth. The space iu which throwing the line is practioabletj 

 is but of limited extent, certainly not exceeding 75 yards in length. Here '! 

 one day in August, 185G, we took twenty-five trout, the weight of the fish 

 running from four ounces to a pound. Bait and flies were both used. 

 Nearer the fort — even within sound of its drums — there is a snuill iso- 

 lated lake, without outlet, aud fed by a small spring. This lake be- 



