tide from the ocean. After entering the fresh water of the river they 

 cease to feed. No food has ever been found in all the tens of thou- 

 sands caught in the Sacramento. As it is of importance to obtain a 

 knowledge of the habits of the salmon while it remains at the mouths 

 of the rivers, playing back and forth between brackish and fresh 

 water, before it makes its long and perilous journey to the head of 

 the stream, we select from our correspondence extracts from a letter 

 from Mr. Samuel N. Norton, of Rio Vista. Mr. Norton is a practical 

 fisherman of many years experience, and the record of his close 

 observation is of much value. He says : " I will give you a synopsis 

 of one year's trip with the salmon, showing the general habits of the 

 fish in all years while remaining in or passing through that part of 

 the Sacramento River lying between its mouths and the point where 

 the Feather River empties into it. For this purpose the Georgiana 

 Slough, the Three-mile Slough around the head of Sherman Island, 

 the San Joaquin River between these sloughs and the bay, and the 

 Montezuma Slough leading into the northern arm of Suisun Bay from 

 the Sacramento River, are considered as mouths of the river with 

 like functions and processes as the main trunk of the river. Indeed, 

 some of the best fishing ground, at certain seasons, is found in the 

 Montezuma, Three-Mile and San Joaquin. To commence with an 

 anachronism, the spring run begins in the fall ! In November and 

 December a very few small (as fishermen use the word-ysay twelve 

 or fourteen pounds each) bright salmon appear in the_ river, and if 

 no rains occur, or only slight rains, an increase in their numbers is 

 noticed, yet they are always very scarce in those months. There are 

 never enough to half supply the local demand of the San Francisco 

 and other home markets. At first, in November, we pick up occa- 

 sionally on their return, the last dregs of the old seed run which 

 occurred during August and September. These are usually male 

 fish, very dark, ill-conditioned, lank-jawed, disconsolate looking fel- 

 lows, who through misfortune, incompetency or other cause, — to me 

 not more than presumable, — seemed to have failed in their mission 

 up the river, or to have fallen into disgrace. The last of these soon dis- 

 appear. The bright ones are the avant couriers of the great spring run, 

 which thus, as I said, begins in the fall. With the first heavy rains 

 tlie fish that have penetrated the river recede, or as we say, back 

 down before the thick muddy stream, retreat to tide-water in the 

 bays and remain there reconnoitering and waiting a steady river 

 current. Now is the time for good fishing in the bay and just in the 

 mouths of the river. The fish" are not very plentiful, but none being 

 caught within the river proper, thereis a great demand and great 

 price against a small area of fishing ground, where all that 

 had before penetrated the river are now concentrated. When 

 the river becomes steady, that is, neither rising nor falling, the fish 

 start up again, no matter how high the water may be, and by the 

 varying moods of the river in sudden rise or fall, is the spring run 

 mainly governed. Sudden rise or fall alike will check theni. Thus 

 it often happens that for many weeks the fish will be taken in num- 

 bers at Benicia and Collinsville, in smaller numbers at Rio Vista, 

 and none at all farther up. Again, there have been seasons when a 

 steady run commenced in the early part of January, and by an 

 almost uniform rate of increase reached its culmination in May. 

 But this is exceptional. The spring run may be stated as commenc- 



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