SALMONID^. 15 



ABDOMINAL 

 MALACOPTERYGII. SALMONID^. 



THE GREATEST LAKE TROUT. 



MACKINAW SALMON NAMAYCUSH. 



Salmo Amethysius ; Mitchil, DeKay. — Salmo Namaycush; Pennant, Richardson. 



Of this fish — concerning which, in the body of the work, I wrote 

 chiefly on the report of others — in the course of a recent tour to the 

 upper lakes, I had ample opportunities of judging. I saw certainly 

 hundreds of specimens, none below seventeen or eighteen pounds 

 weight, and many up to forty and forty-five. They are so abundant 

 on Lake Huron that the Indians sell them willingly for a quarter of a 

 dollar each, without reference to size. 



The flesh of this fish, as an article of food, is exceedingly bad ; it 

 is coarse, flabby, and at once rank and vapid, when fresh, if such a 

 combination can be imagined. On one occasion, a very large fish of 

 this species having been sei-ved up boiled one day, and pronounced, 

 by a large party of good epicurean judges, less than indifierent, a por- 

 tion was dressed cold on the following day with salad, and was so 

 insufi"erably rank, that it was incontinently sent from the table as un- 

 eatable. 



When salted and smoked, or preserved in salt pickle, it is somewhat 

 better, though not at all equal to its sister fish the Siskawitz. 



I should be willing to assert that the average of this great fish is fully 

 up to twenty pounds. I will here add, that I have reason to believe 

 that the opinion hazarded on report of others, that the Great Macki- 

 naw Trout is the liveliest of his species, is entirely erroneous ; and that, 

 from all the inquiries I made among Indians, hunters, and scientific 

 anglers on the lake, I am inclined to disbelieve that this or the next 

 described fish can be taken either with the fly or the spinning-minnow 

 in trolling. If ever they are taken in either of these modes, or with 

 the spoon or squid, it is contrary to their usual habit ; and may be con- 

 sidered a freak of the fish, and one of so rare occurrence as to render 



