21 



forthwith; and us they seem to take as much jjride as the owners of the 

 Boca Mills do in giving the trout fair play, I do not consider that it 

 requires any further attention. 



" I am sorry that I cannot say the same of the next place — Eusch's 

 Mill. Here is a so-called fish way which is of no possible use if it was 

 constructed with a view to allow the fish a passage up stream. If, on 

 the contrary, it was built to be a most efficient trapping place, the intent 

 was fully carried out. But the owner has promised that no further 

 action need be taken, as he would as soon as possible either build a new 

 passageway or else alter the present one to meet the requirements of 

 the law. 



"Except as above stated the fi-sh have proper passageway in the 

 Truckee to and fro from the State line to the debouchment of Lake 

 Tahoe. 



"According to your instructions, I returned from the lake to the line 

 and crossed into Nevada to confer with the citiKcns of our sister State 

 about opening the Truckee on their side so as to give the fish a perfect 

 free way whenever they deemed proper to use it between the fresh 

 waters of Tahoe and the brackish w^aters of Pyramid. The people there 

 took the matter in hand. The owner of the only obstruction on the 

 Nevada portion of the river was ajjplied to, to either have fishways 

 made, or in some other manner give the fish a chance. Ho declined; 

 but a little giant powder, used by some unknown hand, made the condi- 

 tion of things about that dam entirely favorable for the trout to indulge 

 their migratory propensities. 



" Donuer Lake emj^ties through a short creek, also called Donner, into 

 the Truckee about fifteen miles below where that river leaves Tahoe. 

 On Donner Creek I found a dam so constructed that no fish once leaving 

 Donner Lake on its way down to the brackish waters of Lake Pyramid 

 could ever get back again to breed. The consequence of this is that 

 brown trout, which I believe always yearly go or at least start to go to 

 the great Nevada lake, Donner, are extremely scarce, whilst the silver 

 trout, which I think never, or if at all, but seldom, go down stream 

 beyond the lake they first reached from their hatching grounds, are 

 moderately plentiful. 



" I may as well remark here that the above is my opinion as to the one 

 kind coming down stream out of the lakes, and the other not doing so, 

 at least not as a general natural instinct, though ip^'ividual exceptions 

 may occur. But it is contended that there is no list nction in species 

 between the two kind I designate as silver and brown crout — in fact, that 

 they are the same thing — the apparent difference being merely local 

 caused by the nature and color of the gravel in which they were hatched, 

 and the peculiarities of the water in which they grew or live. Such 

 may be the case, but I have examined a considerable number of both 

 colors, and caught a good many trout in the Atlantic States in my 

 younger days, and I consider that what I here call the brown trout is 

 not the same as what Avas called the brook trout in that part of the 

 country where I was born and brought up and caught fish. In every 

 trout I have examined here the brown ones have a straight purplish line 

 on each side of the body from almost the end of its nose to near the 

 tail. This line is not on the silver ones, and on the broAvn ones I have 

 never found any of the spots or dots usual on all trout below the pur- 

 plish line. They have invariably been above it. If I remember cor- 

 rectly, the Eastern brook trout have nothing of the purplish line, but 

 merely spots or dots. Not being an ichthyologist I mex'ely call the 



