176 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



which it possessed just hehiw Mount Shasta. It is still a clear river; 

 but soon after passing this point it becomes roily, and continues to 

 grow more and more so to its mouth. Above the mouth of Pit River it 

 flows tlirough a deep canon, with high hills or mountains on both 

 banks ; but a short distance below the mouth of Pit River it enters a 

 more level country, and from thence to the bay of San Francisco it 

 moves slowly, widening every league, through a level country with 

 broad sweeps of prairie on eitlier side, now famous all over the world 

 as the wonderfully productive region of the Sacramento Valley. 



About a hundred and fifty miles below the mouth of Pit River it 

 receives the muddy waters of the Feather River, and twenty miles far- 

 ther down, at Sacramento City, the still muddier waters of the Ameri- 

 can Fork. From here to San Francisco the Sacramento River is navi- 

 gable for large vessels and steamers; but receives no other extensive 

 tributaries except the San Joaquin, which empties into it at Rio Vista, 

 forty miles below Sacramento. 



It will be seen by the above description that the Sacramento River 

 has but four large tributaries, the San Joaquin, the American Fork, the 

 Feather River, and Pit River. AVitli the San Joaquin we have nothing 

 to do in this report, as it may be regarded as almost an independent 

 river, and has not come within the scope of the present investigation. 

 I will only say in regard to this river that it is much warmer than tlie 

 Sacraniento, but is frequented somewhat by salmon, especially in the 

 fall, which are killed in considerable quantities on some of its tributaries. 



The American Fork was formerly a prolific salmon river, but the min- 

 ing operations on its banks have rendered it so muddy that the salmon 

 have abandoned it altogether, and none ascend it now. Precisely the 

 same thing is to be said of Feather River. The salmon come up in some 

 numl)ers to spawn in the smaller streams between the American and Pit 

 Rivers, but the returns from these spawning-grounds are probably small. 

 The salmon come up Pit River in great numbers in the spring, but I 

 am informed that they all leave Pit River for the colder waters of the 

 McCloud River in the latter part of June or the first part of July. It is 

 probable that they ascend the upper waters of the Pit tliver also to a 

 limited extent at this time, but I could obtain no positive iuform.atiou 

 on this ])oint. Above the mouth of l*it River the salmon ascend tlie 

 Sacramento, now called the Little Sacramento, in great luimbers, and 

 make the clear waters of this stream the principal spawning-ground of 

 the salmon of the Great Sacramento River, with one exception. This 

 exception is the McCloud River. 



12. — THE M'CLOUD river. 



This river, which is the great spawning rendezvous of the Sacramento 

 salmon, de'serves special notice both on tbis ai^count, and because it is 

 on this river that the United States salmon breeding station has been 

 located. The McCloud River heads in Mount Shasta and in the southern 



