54 



The Redfish attains a weight of from four to five pounds. 



Salmo henslimvi, the Silver Trout — Two species of trout, S. tsuppitch 

 and S. hensliawi, commonly called the Black and the Silver Trout, were 

 once supposed to inhabit Lake Tahoe and other lakes, but S. tsuppitch 

 proves to be a salmon instead of a trout, leaving »S'a/'?7io henfihaiui in sole 

 possession as at once the Silver and the Black Trout of Lake Tahoe. 

 Again and again has the writer examined the so called Black Trout of 

 Lake Tahoe, in the endeavor to find any difference between it and the 

 Silver Trout, and has failed. Head, teeth, gill-covers, fins, tail, all 

 external characters of form, were alike. Yet the dealers make out two 

 species; and in the Museum of the Academy of Natural Science we 

 have what purport to be specimens of both, presented by the Accli- 

 matization Society. These. also I examined with the same result as- 

 with tlje fresh specimens. Salmo tsuppitch, the Black Trout, wassaid 

 to be without teeth upon the hyoid bone. Occasionally a large trout 

 without these teeth would occur, but invariably it was a particularly 

 silvery and unspotted individual. If there were two species, it became 

 evident that it was the Silver Trout that was without these teeth ; yet 

 other silvery trout had them. At last Professor Jordan claimed that 

 he had found the real tsuppitch in the Columbia, and that he believed 

 all the trout in Lake Tahoe were henshawi. It is well known that 

 the delicate hyoid teeth become worn off by age or accident, in many 

 cases. The Black Trout of the dealers must, therefore, be a myth, so 

 far as species is concerned ; yet, as those called " black " usually arrive 

 here at a different season of the year than those called " silver " (which 

 are often as dark as the black), it is not unlikely that there may be 

 some peculiarity in the flesh, especially as the dealers profess to find 

 a difference in firmness between them. 



S. henshawi is sparselj^ covered with rather large dark round 

 spots. 



It reaches a weight of two or three pounds. Large quantities are 

 sent from Wadsworth, on the Central Pacific Railroad, to the mar- 

 kets of San Francisco. 



It is not confined to the lake it is named after, but occurs also in 

 other mountain lakes, and in the Sacramento River, but it has not yet 

 been traced to salt water. 



Salmo iricleus, the Brook Trout — This is the almost universally 

 diffused brook trout of the streams of this State, and is, when adult, 

 singularly handsome, glowing w^ith peculiarly shaped spots or short 

 bars of metallic golden green. 



It has been generally catalogued as an exclusively fresh water fish,, 

 but it appears to share to some extent the anadromous habits of Salmo 

 solar — as "sea trout" — possessing all the characters of Salmo irideus 

 except the color, which is light, almost uniform, silver}^, are fre- 

 quently brought to the markets of San Francisco during the winter 

 months, and there is little or no doubt that these are iridea which 

 have left the streams for a more or less prolonged visit to salt water. 



The fact is that all trout although for the most part inhabitants 

 of fresh water, take occasional trips to the sea when the waters 

 they inhabit are favorably situated for the purpose. ;S*. irideus is 

 usually of small size, not exceeding a foot in length, but under 

 favorable circumstances reaches eighteen inches. In the Columbia 

 it is rare, but Professor Jordan saw a few from a stream above 

 Astoria. 



