﻿DISTRIBUTION 
  OF 
  FISHES 
  JOEDAN" 
  367 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  probably 
  true 
  that 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  branches 
  always 
  connect 
  the 
  two 
  creeks 
  

   under 
  ordinary 
  conditions, 
  and 
  that 
  following 
  heavy 
  rains 
  or 
  when 
  the 
  snows 
  

   are 
  melting 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  Atlantic 
  Creek 
  crosses 
  the 
  

   meadow 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  channels 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   distinct 
  ones 
  that 
  were 
  dry 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  our 
  visit. 
  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  thg 
  

   pass 
  is 
  a 
  nearly 
  level 
  meadow 
  .covered 
  with 
  a 
  heavy 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  

   many 
  small 
  willows 
  1 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  high. 
  While 
  it 
  is 
  somewhat 
  marshy 
  in 
  places 
  

   it 
  has 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  a 
  lake 
  about 
  it. 
  Of 
  course, 
  during 
  wet 
  weather 
  

   the 
  small 
  springs 
  at 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  meadow 
  would 
  be 
  stronger, 
  but 
  the 
  

   important 
  facts 
  are 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  lake 
  or 
  even 
  marsh 
  there 
  and 
  that 
  

   neither 
  Atlantic 
  nor 
  Pacific 
  Creek 
  has 
  its 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  meadow. 
  Atlantic 
  Creek, 
  

   in 
  fact, 
  comes 
  into 
  the 
  pass 
  as 
  two 
  good-sized 
  streams 
  from 
  opposite 
  direc- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  leaves 
  it 
  by 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  channels, 
  thus 
  making 
  an 
  island 
  of 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  meadow. 
  And 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  there 
  is, 
  under 
  

   ordinary 
  circumstances, 
  a 
  continuous 
  waterway 
  through 
  Two-Ocean 
  Pass 
  of 
  

   such 
  a 
  character 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  fishes 
  to 
  pass 
  easily 
  and 
  readily 
  from 
  Snake 
  

   River 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  Yellowstone, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  opposite 
  direction. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  

   possible, 
  barring 
  certain 
  falls 
  in 
  the 
  Snake 
  River, 
  for 
  a 
  fish 
  so 
  inclined, 
  to 
  

   start 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia, 
  travel 
  up 
  that 
  great 
  river 
  to 
  its 
  principal 
  

   tributary, 
  the 
  Snake, 
  thence 
  on 
  through 
  the 
  long, 
  tortuous 
  course 
  of 
  that 
  

   stream, 
  and, 
  under 
  the 
  shadows 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  Teton, 
  enter 
  the 
  cold 
  waters 
  

   of 
  Pacific 
  Creek, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  could 
  journey 
  on 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  Continental 
  Divide, 
  to 
  Two-Ocean 
  Pass; 
  through 
  this 
  pass 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  

   a 
  choice 
  of 
  two 
  routes 
  to 
  Atlantic 
  Creek, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  downstream 
  journey 
  

   is 
  begun. 
  Soon 
  it 
  reaches 
  the 
  Yellowstone, 
  down 
  which 
  it 
  continues 
  to 
  

   Yellowstone 
  Lake, 
  then 
  through 
  the 
  lower 
  Yellowstone 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  turbid 
  

   waters 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  ; 
  for 
  many 
  hundred 
  miles 
  it 
  may 
  continue 
  down 
  this 
  

   mighty 
  river 
  before 
  reaching 
  the 
  Father 
  of 
  Waters, 
  which 
  will 
  finally 
  carry 
  

   it 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  — 
  a 
  wonderful 
  journey 
  of 
  nearly 
  G,000 
  miles, 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  

   longest 
  possible 
  fresh-water 
  journey 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  We 
  found 
  trout 
  in 
  Pacific 
  Creek 
  at 
  every 
  point 
  where 
  we 
  examined 
  it. 
  In 
  

   Two-Ocean 
  Pass 
  we 
  found 
  trout 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  positions 
  

   as 
  would 
  have 
  permitted 
  them 
  to 
  pass 
  easily 
  from 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  divide 
  to 
  

   the 
  other. 
  We 
  also 
  found 
  trout 
  in 
  Atlantic 
  Creek 
  below 
  the 
  pass, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   upper 
  Yellowstone 
  they 
  were 
  abundant. 
  Thus 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   obstruction, 
  even 
  in 
  dry 
  weather, 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  trout 
  from 
  the 
  

   Snake 
  River 
  to 
  Yellowstone 
  Lake; 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  evident 
  that 
  trout 
  do 
  pass 
  over 
  

   in 
  this 
  way 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  certain 
  that 
  Yellowstone 
  Lake 
  was 
  stocked 
  with 
  

   trout 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  via 
  Two-Ocean 
  Pass 
  (Salmo 
  clarlci 
  Richardson), 
  

  

  The 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  constitutes 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  barrier 
  to 
  the 
  

   diffusion 
  of 
  species. 
  This 
  is, 
  however, 
  broken 
  by 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  

   Columbia 
  River, 
  and 
  many 
  species 
  thus 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  across 
  it. 
  

   That 
  the 
  waters 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  it 
  are 
  not 
  unfavorable 
  for 
  the 
  growth 
  

   of 
  eastern 
  fishes 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  rapid 
  spread 
  of 
  the 
  

   common 
  eastern 
  catfish 
  {Ameiurus 
  nehulosus 
  Le 
  Sueur 
  and 
  Villarius 
  

   catus 
  Linnaeus), 
  or 
  horned 
  pout, 
  when 
  transported 
  from 
  the 
  Schuyl- 
  

   kill 
  to 
  the 
  Sacramento. 
  The 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  catfish 
  are 
  now 
  among 
  

   the 
  important 
  food 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Francisco 
  markets, 
  and 
  with 
  

   the 
  Chinamen, 
  their 
  patron, 
  they 
  have 
  gone 
  from 
  California 
  to 
  

  

  