134 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



and shallow water to spawn. This habit and the abundance of the fish 

 would indicate that it nuist be an important food for hirger fishes. 



Coherent reports and descriptions of a red forked-tailed trout in 

 some of the waters of St. Francis River suggests the possil)ility of 

 another char occuri'ing* in these waters. 



BIOLOGY OF THE SACRAMENTO SALMON. 



On the conclusion of the sea-lion investigation elsewhere alluded to, 

 Mr. Cloudsley Rutter resumed the study of the quinnat salmon in the 

 Sacramento basin, on which he had been engaged for a nuni))er of 

 years. 



The work began September 1 at Black Diamond, California, where 

 b}'^ weighing and measuring many specimens of salmon recently from 

 the sea a standard weight was established for fishes at the mouth of the 

 river. Then 150 specimens were weighed, branded with serial imm- 

 bers, and released, in the expectation that some of them would be 

 taken again at the hatcheries and light thus be thrown on their rate 

 of travel upstream and their loss of weight during migration. Three 

 of the marked fish were subsequenth' recaptured. 



During October two trips were made down the Sacramento River in 

 a skitf for the purpose of charting the spawning-beds and noting the 

 dates at w^hich the beds were successively occupied. Noveml)er was 

 spent at the !Mill Creek hatchery near Tehama, the principal work 

 being the weighing and measuring of salmon in various conditions for 

 comparison with those examined at the mouth of the river. 



The run of quinnat salmon in Papermill Creek, Marin County, was 

 investigated, as the species had never been known in that stream prior 

 to the planting of fry there in 1897 and 1898. 



The preparation of a general report on the salmon investigations 

 and the study of material with a view to a report on the em})ryology 

 of the quinnat occupied Mr. Rutter's time during the remainder of 

 the year. 



The habits of the Pacific salmons are vitally difi'erent from those of 

 the Atlantic species, and as these have an important rohition to natural 

 reproduction, artificial propagation, and commercial fishing, the Com- 

 mission deemed it desirable that the species be subjected to a careful 

 ph3'siological investigation. While the Atlantic salmon, Sahno sahw, 

 has been studied from the standpoint of physiology,* the Pacific sal- 

 mons have up to this time been neglected in this respect. The Com- 

 mission therefore engaged the services of Prof. Charles "W. Greene, 

 of the Universit}' of Missouri, who has devoted much attention to 

 comparative physiology. Professor Greene began his field work early 

 in July and continued until September, examining the salmon before 

 the}^ entered the rivers and after they reached their spawning-grounds, 



*See Investigations on the Life History of the Salmon in Fresh Water, by D. Noel Paton, M. D. 

 Special Report of 1898, Fishery Board for Scotland. 



