52 SALMON AND TROUT IN ALASKA. 



locally, candlefish (Ammodytes) . The sockeyes of this lot whose 

 stomachs were examined contained crustaceans, a few with fragments 

 of insects also; several had small herring fry. Seventy-two males 

 averaged 82.1 mm. in length (47-105); 70 females averaged 81.3 mm. 

 (48-110). 



It is a curious fact that in these collections, where there are large 

 numbers of apparently regular-sized examples, usually the males are 

 found to average slightly the larger, whereas in cases of only a few 

 large examples the females almost always exceed the males in size. 



At Karluk young salmon are found abundantly in the waters in 

 which seining for the cannery is carried on. It is said these yearlings 

 sometimes rush through the seines in clouds, and even in the large- 

 meshed seines numbers are drawn ashore with the adults. From the 

 catch on June 8, 1903, were saved 67 sockeyes, averaging 181 mm. 

 (123-207). These were feeding on small Crustacea; of 20 examined 

 none had fry of any sort in the stomach. The distribution of food 

 was peculiar in that individuals were feeding almost exclusively on a 

 given form. For example, one was filled with ostracods, others had 

 but few; some had almost nothing but copepods, others as exclusively 

 amphipods; many, however, had such a mixture as would be expected. 

 This seems to indicate that the crustaceans form schools to a certain 

 extent, either in zones or otherwise, which enables the fish, acting as 

 a tow-net, to obtain more or less nearly pure masses of a given form. 

 Among the specimens saved from this haul other than sockeyes were 

 only 2 cohos. One of these had eaten a young cottoid of 18 mm. 

 length. 



On July 3 from a similar haul were saved 30 specimens; 12 males 

 averaging 136 mm. (122-156), and 18 females averaging 139 mm. 

 (125-164). Some of these were empt}^, most had been feedmg on 

 small crustaceans, several contained in addition small coiled shells 

 (pteropods), and 2 had small blennies and sticklebacks in some 

 number. One coho occurred in this lot. 



July 24 young salmon were very abundant in Karluk Lagoon. A 

 seine haul, with a 75-foot seine, covering about 250 square yards, 

 took over 2,000 salmon, 30 to 150 mm. in length, and a few small 

 trout and charrs. It is noteworthy that in this lot there seem to have 

 been no humpbacks or dogs, whereas among specimens taken at the 

 same time on the outer side of the spit, in the camiery seine, no sock- 

 eyes were saved. Wliether this was a peculiarity of the distribution 

 at that time or whether it arose from some other reason it is impos- 

 sible to state. It is known that the collector did not closely differ- 

 entiate the various species. The young sockeyes taken in the lagoon 

 varied from 30 to 145 mm. in length. The smaller are doubtless 

 from the hatchery, the yearlings may be from the lake; all were 

 feeding on Crustacea and insects, the smaller fish more on insects 



