VII.-NOTES ON THE SALMON OF THE MIRAMICHI RIVER. 



By Livixgston Stone. 



The saluiou begin to arrive in the Mirauiichi Biver about the 10th 

 of June. There is, I believe, only one or two days difference be- 

 tween the time of their arrival at the mouth of the river and at the head 

 of tide- water, about sixty miles above. The salmon continue to rua 

 from the 10th of June to the spawning-season, (the middle of October,) 

 and there is said to be one run after that, called by the fishermen the 

 ll^ovember run. 



The flesh of the June runs of fish is very much the best ; very fat, 

 rich, and delicious. The quality of their flesh deteriorates steadily from 

 this month till they spawn ; but the size of the later runs of fish seem to 

 be about the same, except in the November salmon, which are smaller. 

 This November run does not, I think, make its appearance every year, 

 but usually. These fish seem to be in a great hurry, and make a rush 

 for the spawning-beds without any of the delays on the way up which 

 are noticed in the earlier runs. 



In June the stjlmon are all, males and females, bright and silvery, with 

 small, gentle-looking heads, and plump and gracefully-formed bodies. 

 At this time males and females look alike, and can hardly be distin- 

 guished. As the spawning-season approaches, both sexes, but especially 

 the males, change their silvery coat and put on gorgeous colors ; the 

 spots varying from a pale blue and straw color in some fish to a deep 

 red, purple, and gold in others. Their colors are mingled with all the 

 other tints of the rainbow. ISTothing can exceed the beauty of coloring 

 of some of the handsomest male fish at the height of the spawning-season. 

 The head of the male, however, has changed for the worse. It has grown 

 long and low: the ugly-looking tush of the lower jaw has protruded its 

 full length, and the whole expression of his head and eye is malicious 

 and savage in the extreme. We found a few exceptional salmon of both 

 sexes, of a dark silvery hue, without spots. They were usually the most 

 difficult to handle ; next to these in this respect came the deeply-colored 

 males. The milder-colored fish were the easiest to manage. The dis- 

 tinction of the sexes was very marked at this time. The ugly head of 

 the male and the swollen ovaries of the female furnished unmistakable 

 indications of the respective sexes. 



The salmon in the Miramichi begin to spawn about the 15th of Octo- 

 ber, or, according to the Indians' almanac, when the juniper turns red. 

 The spawning-season seems to be quite short, as the fish were all through 

 spawning in the river in 1808, (except the November ones,) on the 20th 

 of October. On that day and the three succeeding days I swept the 



