592 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



northern parts of this State and in the eastern townships in Canada it is at present 

 extensively known hy the name of longe. In Pennant's Arctic Zoology and hy the 

 fur-traders at the Northwest its more common appellation is namayeusli, or namaycush 

 salmon. It is called hy Dr. Mitchill the Great Lake trout, and he describes it under 

 the scientific name of Sahno amethystus.* This magnificent trout equals or surpasses 

 the common salmon iu size, and is found in most of the lakes and large ponds in the 

 northern parts of North America. In the Great Lakes at the Northwest it is often 

 taken weighing from 30 to 60 pounds, and, according to Dr. Mitchill, it has been 

 taken at Micbilimackiuac of the enormous weight of 120 pounds. This fish was 

 formerly common in Lake Champlain and in several ponds in the western part of the 

 State, but, like the salmon, it is now rarely caught in those waters. It is, however, 

 still found in considerable plenty in several ponds in the northern part of Vermont, 

 particularly in Orleans County. Bell-water Pond, in Barton, and several ponds in 

 Glover, Charleston, etc., are much celebrated on account of the fine longe which 

 they afford. These usually vary from half a pound to 10 pounds, but are often much 

 larger. Individuals are said to have been taken recently in Glover weighing 25 

 pounds and in Charleston exceeding 40 pounds. 



"This fish passes most of the time in the deepest parts of the lakes and ponds, but, 

 according to Dr. Richardson, resorts to the shallows to spawn in October. It is a 

 very voracious fish, and is sometimes termed the tyrant of the lakes. It is taken 

 with the hook and line, and is also speared by torchlight. Its flesh is of a reddish- 

 yellow color, and is very much esteemed as an article of food. Roasting is said to 

 be the best method of cooking it. 'The Canadian voyageurs are fond of eating it 

 raw, in a frozen state, after scorching it for a second or two over a quick fire, until 

 the scales can be easily detached, but not continuing the application of heat long 

 enough to thaw the interior.'" t 



According to Mr. Titcomb, "Lake Dunmore, in Addison County, is good fishing for 

 longe. Willoughby Lake is the largest and best lake for them in northern Vermont. 

 Maidstone Lake, in Essex County, is inhabited by a longe so distinctly individual 

 that many consider it a distinct variety. It is highly prized as a table fish, but does 

 not grow so large as in many other lakes. The average weight of those found in 

 Maidstone Lake is 2 to 3 pounds." 



33. Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill). Common Eastern Brook Trout. 



One specimen, 4| inches long, was obtained in Sleeper River at St. Johnsbury. 

 Numerous young trout were seen in a small stream on the east side of Lake Mein- 

 phremagog. The brook trout is, of course, well distributed over this region. Mr. 

 Thompsonhas the following interesting paragraphs concerning its former abundance : 



"The brook trout is more generally diffused over the State than any other species 

 offish, there being scarcely a brook or rill of clear water descending from our hills 

 and mountains in which it is not found. When the country was new they also 

 abounded in the larger streams, where they often grew to the weight of 2 or 3 pounds. 

 But they have been diminished by the causes already mentioned and have been sought 

 after with such eagerness as the most delicious article of food of the fish kind that 

 they are now seldom taken in our streams exceeding half a pound in weight, and 

 much the greater number of them weigh less than a quarter of a pound. In many of 

 the ponds they are still taken of a larger size, but their flavor is thought to be less 

 delicious than that of those taken in running water, especially in ponds with muddy 

 bottoms. The rapidity with which this and other species of fishes multiply under 

 favorable circumstances was exemplified in an astonishing manner at an early day, in 

 Tinmouth, in this State. 'A stream which was about 20 feet wide and which, like other 

 streams, contained trout and suckers of the ordinary size and number, had a dam built 

 across it for the purpose of supplying water for a sawmill. This dam formed a pond, 



*.Tour. Ac. Nat. Science, Philadelphia, vol. 1, page 410. 

 t Richardson's Fauna Boreali- Americana, vol. m, page 180. 



