STONE ON THE SACRAMENTO SALMON. 



181 



new ruu commences, and, to quote the fishermen's words, 'Hhe river is 

 full of them." The quality of this fish is very poor compared with the 

 winter and spring runs, which circumstance, connected with their great 

 abnndance, makes them a drug in the market at this time. They can 

 now be bought at 3 cents a pound, and even for less, as tons of them 

 are thrown back into the river for want of purchasers. This abundance 

 continues through September, the quality of the fish remaining very 

 poor. In October the numbers fall oft' again and continue to lessen, till 

 the new winter run begins again in November. 



The following table, according to months, shows the condition of the 

 Sacramento River, in regard to the salmon, at Sacramento: 



Month. 



Numbers. 



Quality. 



January . . . 

 February - . 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September . 

 October ... 

 Novemlter . 

 December* 



Increasing, but not abundant . 

 Increasing, but not abundant . 



Very abundant 



Very abundant 



Falling oft', but still abundant 



Somewhiit scarce 



Somewhat scarce 



Very abundant indeed 



Abundant 



Falling oft". New ruu begins. 



Very scarce 



Scarce 



Prime. 

 Prime. 

 Prime. 



Nearly prime. 

 Nearly prime. 

 Inferior. 

 Inferior. 

 Very poor. 

 Very poor. 

 Very poor. 

 Very tine. 

 Very fine. 



17. — GENERAL MOVEMENTS, ETC., OF THE SACRAMENTO SALMON IN 



THE M'CLOUD RIVER. 



It will be seen by the previous notes that there are salmon in the Lower 

 Sacramento every month in the year. It is not so in the upper tributa- 

 ries of the river, as for instance, in the Little Sacramento, or in the Mc- 

 Cloud. The salmon have stated times for arriving in the upper tribu- 

 taries and for remaining in them, and at other periods of the year there 

 are no salmon in these streams. 



The salmon arrive in the mouth of the McCAoud in March, hut are 

 scarce in that month. In April and May they become plentiful but are 

 not large, the average weight not exceeding ten or twelve pounds. They 

 remuin plentiful through June and July, during the latter part of which 

 months they receive an accession from Pit River, the lower part of which 

 river now becomes nearly deserted by the salmon. In August, there is 

 a large run of salmon up the McCloud, composed of larger fish. The 

 salmon are now, in August, the largest and most abundant of any time 

 in the year in the McCloud. They begin to spawn in the lower portions 

 of the McCloud during the last half of August. By the middle of Sep- 

 tember the salmon begin here to die, and from this till the end of the 

 month they die very rapidly, and there are thousands of dead salmon 

 floating down the stream and being washed up to the banks. The bears 



" In December, January, and February, the salmon are more abundant in the lower 

 parts of the river than fiu-thor up. 



