CHAPTEE XXIY 

 HOW THE SALMON IS VANISHING 



WHILE staying at the Bear River camp I met 

 John P. Babcock, fish commissioner of the province of 

 British Columbia. Mr. Babcock is a man who enjoys 

 an international reputation in all matters piscatorial. 

 He is, above all, a recognized authority upon the habits 

 of the salmon and upon the statistics relating to the 

 annual catch, or " pack." He was on a tour of in- 

 spection of all the salmon streams in the province. 



Bear River is the " mother stream " of an enormous 

 run of sock-eye salmon and of the so-called spring 

 salmon, which was the reason for his visit. I was glad 

 indeed to listen to his fascinating talk on the history 

 of the salmon while he was waiting for the morning 

 light to enable him to start on this, his annual visit to 

 the head waters of our river. 



It will perhaps be remembered that the sock-eye, 

 when it makes its fatal journey to its natal spawning 

 bed, is clothed in its nuptial colors, the body being of a 

 brilliant scarlet, while the head, jaws and tail are of a 

 bright shade of copper-colored green. 



It would be difficult for any one to see a more 

 beautiful sight than that made by this magnificent fish 

 when thousands of them are leaping, plunging and 



