FISHES OF THE NORTHWEST. 349 



. at the mouth of the river, when going up the river to spawn, 

 which they do from about the last of July until nearly the last of 

 October. When ascending the river, they travel in schools num- 

 bering from one to two or three hundred, and fishermen land 

 them in large quantities by means of drag nets and seines. When 

 fresh, or when properly cured, they are esteemed a greater deli- 

 cacy for table use than even the mountain trout ; but great skill 

 and care, and, above all, great cleanliness, is required for their 

 preservation in a manner for the table. Dried, they are preferred 

 to either herring or codfish, but the best way to preserve them is 

 in brine. Put up in this way — care being observed to have them 

 perfectly fresh and perfectly clean — they are probably not excelled 

 by any fish in the world. The writer has seen them late in the 

 fall moving down the river as if returning to the lake, but such 

 multitudes of them die along the stream that it is believed to be 

 impossible that any get back alive. In size the " redfish " vary but 

 little, being generally about twenty inches long, and weighing 

 from three and a half to five pounds. Being unknown to both 

 British and American fishermen, they are coming to be looked 

 upon as confined solely to Idaho and Lake Payette, and the object 

 of this article is to call attention to the fact of their existence, and 

 to draw out an expression of opinion from persons capable of 

 judging as to their place among the " finny tribe." Besides, they 

 are a great delicacy, and it may yet be found practicable to stock 

 the lakes of California, Oregon, and Nevada, and perhaps of all 

 the Northern and Northwestern States and Territories, with them ; 

 the only apparent requisites necessary to their propagation being 

 depth of pure, cold water, and a gravelly stream for their spawn. 



Pacific Red Spotted Salmon Trout ; the Dolly Varden. — Salmo campbelU. 

 Suckley. 



This species inhabits chiefly glacial waters ; is found in the 

 northern streams of CaHfornia and as far north as Alaska. They 

 have whitish yellow spots just below the back, and red spots 

 above the belly. Tail forked. It takes the bait greedily and rises 

 readily to the fly. 



Back's Grayling ; Lesser %x-i.yX\n%.— Thy inallus iignifcr.— Cuv. and VaU 



Specific characters. — Head about one-sixth total length, ex- 

 cluding caudal. Depth of body greater than length of head. 



