220 The Trouts of America 



for a time on the surface, and trout may be 

 taken immediately under these currents, and 

 they have also been known to rise to a fly 

 through a hot scalding surface. They also 

 linger in the neighborhood of hot springs in 

 the bottom of the lake. This is probably owing 

 to the abundance of food in these waters, but 

 the fact is evident that geyser water does not 

 kill trout. The Hot River which drains the 

 Mammoth Hot Springs flows into Gardner 

 River. Trout abound at the mouth of this 

 stream, and here, as in numerous other places 

 in the Park, the much-reported practice of catch- 

 ing a trout in cold and scalding it in hot water 

 is possible. These trout, however, are almost 

 invariably infested with parasitic worms, some 

 of them longer than the fish, causing it to 

 become leaner and flatter than the healthy ones, 

 and the sides and belly to show ridges and 

 lumps. The flesh, also, is redder in the dis- 

 eased fish, and the external color is likely to be 

 dusky or brassy. 



As will be seen in the schedule previously 

 given, there are thirteen subspecies or varietal 

 forms of the cut-throats (clarkii}. Taking these 

 up seriatim, we reach first the trout of the Yel- 



