FISHERIES OF SACRAMENTO AND COLUMBIA RIVERS. 819 



head forming about the fourth of the total length. Maxillary bono 

 curved, extending to a vertical line passing somewhat posteriorly to the 

 entire orbit. Anterior margin of dorsal fin a little nearer the extremity 

 of the snout than the base of the caudal. Brownish-gray above; sil- 

 very beneath. Dorsal region and upper portion of the flanks spread 

 over with light spots, those on the sides bright red as in S. fontinalis. 



There is so much confusion and even contradiction in the descriptions 

 given of the Salmo spectabilis that I am almost certain that there are 

 two species of red-spotted trout on the Pacific coast entirely distinct 

 from each other, and very different in their habits. One is the fish 

 which is found in Dog River, Oregon, near Mount Hood, and also in the 

 McCloud, near Mount Shasta, California. The other is the red-spotted 

 trout that is so abundant in the bays and rivers of Puget Sound in the 

 autumn. The first inhabits only the coldest waters, is not very abun- 

 dant anywhere, and is not anadromous. The second is not so particular 

 about the temperature of its habitat; is exceedingly abundant in the 

 Nisqually, Dwamish, and other rivers of the northwest coast, and is 

 unquestionably anadromous. Which fish Dr. Girard meant to desig- 

 nate by the Salmo spectabilis it is impossible to tell, but he undoubtedly 

 meant one or the other, and if he intended to indicate the anadromous 

 fish, then the mountain-fish has not been named, and if he meant to 

 indicate the mountain-trout, then the anadromous fish has not been 

 named. 



As I have seen only the mountain red-spotted trout, I will confine 

 myself entirely to this variety. This trout, as just remarked, is found 

 only in the very coldest waters, usually at the head of some stream 

 which is directly formed from melting mountain-snows. This accounts 

 for its being found in Dog Creek, which heads in the snows of Mount 

 Hood, and in the upper waters of the McCloud River, California, which 

 heads in Mount Shasta, another mountain which is covered with perpet- 

 ual snow. It is so attached to very cold water that it will rarely de- 

 scend to the mouth of the McCloud River while the temperature of the 

 water there is over 52° Fahrenheit. It spawns in May or June. It is 

 a very voracious fish, and will take a fly or live bait with avidity. It 

 may be distinguished from all other fresh-water trout by its bright red 

 spots in connection with its peculiar form, which is more rounded than 

 any other variety' of American trout. 



I saw and heard of many other varieties of Salmonidce while on the 

 Columbia, but I am not sufficiently sure of any of them to identify them 

 with any certainty. 



To illustrate the contradictory character of the information one meets 

 with in inquiring into the salmon of the Columbia, I will repeat briefly 

 what I was told about them at various points by experienced fishermen. 

 At Astoria I was told that there were only two kinds of salmon in the 

 river, the spring salmon and the fall salmon. At Clifton I was told by 

 Mr. J. W. Cook that there were the Chinook Salmon, the Bluebacks, 



