﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LXXXI 
  

  

  here 
  to 
  the 
  petioles 
  of 
  aquatic 
  plants 
  which 
  are, 
  with 
  hardly 
  an 
  exception, 
  found 
  in 
  

   all 
  spawning 
  places. 
  In 
  larger 
  lakes 
  the 
  Coregonus 
  albula 
  regularly 
  wanders 
  about 
  

   in 
  large 
  schools; 
  thus, 
  e. 
  g., 
  in 
  September 
  and 
  October 
  they 
  leave 
  the 
  Mauer 
  Lake 
  and 
  

   the 
  Lowentin 
  Lake 
  in 
  East 
  Prussia 
  and. 
  go 
  into 
  the 
  Spirding 
  Lake, 
  to 
  return 
  a 
  rr 
  ain 
  in 
  

   spring. 
  In 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  lakes 
  this 
  fish 
  reaches 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  12 
  to 
  15'centimeters 
  ; 
  but 
  

   in 
  many 
  waters, 
  e. 
  g., 
  the 
  Dadey 
  Lake, 
  near 
  Bischofsburg, 
  the 
  Lyk 
  Lake, 
  near 
  Lyk, 
  

   and 
  many 
  others, 
  it 
  reaches 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  35 
  centimeters. 
  As 
  it 
  is 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  

   on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  delicate 
  meat, 
  this 
  fish 
  is 
  caught 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  with 
  nets 
  and 
  

   seines, 
  and 
  is 
  brought 
  into 
  the 
  market 
  either 
  fresh 
  or 
  smoked. 
  

  

  e. 
  The 
  Grayling 
  (Thymallus 
  tricolor). 
  

  

  The 
  Michigan 
  grayling 
  is 
  native 
  to 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Michigan, 
  but 
  is 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  in 
  

   Montana, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  Park. 
  It 
  never 
  occurs 
  

   south 
  of 
  latitude 
  43° 
  north, 
  and 
  its 
  principal 
  habitat 
  on 
  this 
  continent 
  

   is, 
  or 
  was 
  until 
  recently, 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  peninsula 
  

   of 
  Michigan, 
  in 
  the 
  clear, 
  cold, 
  rapid 
  streams 
  emptying 
  into 
  Lakes 
  

   Michigan 
  and 
  Huron, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  Manistee 
  and 
  Au 
  Sable 
  Rivers. 
  

  

  The 
  Michigan 
  grayling 
  was 
  first 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  local 
  scien- 
  

   tists 
  in 
  1854 
  or 
  1855, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  described 
  and 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  Thymal- 
  

   lus 
  michigansis 
  up 
  to 
  1864, 
  when 
  its 
  present 
  name 
  of 
  T. 
  tricolor 
  was 
  

   given 
  it 
  after 
  a 
  careful 
  examination 
  by 
  Prof. 
  E. 
  D. 
  Cope. 
  The 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  Eeport 
  for 
  1872-73, 
  printed 
  in 
  1874, 
  contained 
  a 
  valuable 
  

   article 
  on 
  this 
  fish 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  James 
  W. 
  Milner. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  grayling 
  is 
  about 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  8 
  

   ounces 
  in 
  weight; 
  though 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  16 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  

   weighing 
  2 
  pounds, 
  and 
  even 
  more. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  brook 
  

   trout 
  in 
  flavor, 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  gamiest 
  of 
  fish; 
  but, 
  unlike 
  the 
  trout, 
  

   it 
  is 
  more 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  swift 
  ripples 
  and 
  shallows 
  than 
  in 
  

   the 
  quiet 
  pools 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  While 
  the 
  adult 
  trout 
  and 
  grayling 
  live 
  

   together 
  in 
  harmony, 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  often 
  furnish 
  a 
  

   dainty 
  meal 
  for 
  the 
  trout, 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  grayling 
  is 
  being 
  driven 
  from 
  

   streams 
  which 
  are 
  congenial 
  to 
  the 
  trout. 
  

  

  Thirty 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  grayling 
  were 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   streams 
  and 
  rivers 
  of 
  Michigan 
  ; 
  but 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  dis- 
  

   appearing 
  so 
  'rapidly 
  that 
  their 
  final 
  extermination 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  

   feared, 
  unless 
  something 
  is 
  done 
  to 
  prevent 
  it. 
  This 
  disappearance 
  is 
  

   due 
  somewhat 
  to 
  excessive, 
  fishing, 
  but 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  migration 
  or 
  in- 
  

   troduction 
  of 
  the 
  trout 
  into 
  the 
  famous 
  grayling 
  streams, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  

   still 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  settling 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  increase 
  

   in 
  lumbering. 
  The 
  grayling 
  spawns 
  in 
  spring, 
  about 
  or 
  immediately 
  

   preceding 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  running 
  the 
  logs 
  down 
  the 
  streams, 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  spawning 
  in 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  

   deep. 
  Then 
  the 
  logs 
  come 
  down, 
  driving 
  off 
  the 
  fish, 
  raking 
  up 
  the 
  

   beds, 
  and 
  destroying 
  the 
  spawn. 
  

  

  In 
  favorable 
  waters 
  this 
  fish 
  is 
  prolific 
  (more 
  so 
  than 
  the 
  brook 
  trout), 
  

   yielding 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  from 
  3,000 
  to 
  4,000 
  eggs 
  per 
  spawuer. 
  Its 
  spawn- 
  

   ing 
  season 
  seems 
  to 
  range, 
  in 
  Michigan, 
  liom 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  March 
  

  

  