ii8 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA 



the so-called oo//si (Sa/iuo co/Zar/s), a species of sea- 

 troLit, which ascends the rivers to their head-waters 

 and frequently remains in the lakes, returning to 

 the sea the following spring. These were the only 

 fish which would take the spoon ; all our angling 

 efforts were useless with regard to the other numerous 

 species. The Jiaiko [Oiicoj-fiviic/nis /aovci'p/ia/its) and 

 the oa?-biis//a, or humpback {OucorhvncJnts protcus), 

 arrive almost simultaneouslv in lulv and the be^innino" 

 •of August, and are not supposed to return to the sea 

 after spawning. Another species, the krasnaia or red 

 fish, is caught by the natives in great quantities in the 

 Kamchatka and Bolshaia rivers. Its flesh is crimson 

 red, but does not compare in taste with that of its 

 rivals. The kelts of these fish, like those of European 

 salmon, become red, and swell to a considerable size ; 

 their jaws become hooked and their teeth unusually 

 developed towards the end of September. As regards 

 the salmon-fishing in Kamchatka, I cannot pass over 

 in silence the arbitrary fashion in which this highly 

 important branch of native industry is treated. As 

 the reader may know, fish constitutes the main susten- 

 ance of the population, and takes the place of bread. 

 Ilitherto, Japanese fishermen had unlawfully poached 

 along the entire coast of the peninsula, abandoning 

 the Kuriles for these more prolific waters. The 



