REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 45 



waters of Japan, born in the spring, runs up the rivers in the summer, 

 and dies the following winter, only the young surviving; Brachymy- 

 stax, a large and scarcely known salmon-like fish in the waters of Siberia; 

 ■Stenodus, the Inconnu, a large, weak-tooth salmon found in the Mac- 

 kenzie River; TJiymallus, the Grayling; Hucho, the Huchen, or Roth- 

 fisch of the River Danube, a large, voracious, pike-like salmon, which 

 seems to be little known either to naturalists or to anglers; Oncorhyn- 

 chics, the Pacific Coast salmon, or Quinnats; Sahno, the salmon and 

 trout; and Salvelinus, the Charr, or Red-spotted trout. 



Of these, the various fishes commonly known as salmon and trout 

 belong to the last three genera. The others need not be further men- 

 tioned in the present discussion. In order to get a better idea of the 

 proper application of the various vernacular names that are used in 

 America, it is necessary to go back to Europe, the source from which 

 tliese names have been drawn. First, we have a large fish, common in 

 tlie salt waters of northern Europe, spending most of its life near the 

 sliores in regions where the water is cold and clear, and ascending the 

 rivers in the spring when the high water comes down from the mount- 

 ains, going through rapids with great force, leaping cataracts, and finally 

 casting its spawn on the gravelly bed of a small stream. This was 

 known to the Latin writers as Sahno, the word coming from salio, which 

 means "to leap," and in the different languages which are derived from 

 the Latin having as its names some form of the word " salmon." The 

 scientific name of this fish is Salmo salar. 



Very similar to the salmon in all technical respects, like it having 

 black spots over the surface of the body and rather large silvery scales, 

 is a smaller fish which rarely descends to the sea, and makes its home 

 in the rivers and lakes throughout northern and central Europe. This 

 fish was known by the name of Fario to the old Latin writers, the most 

 important of whom, in this regard, was Ansonius, who wrote feelingly 

 and poetically of the fishes of the River Moselle. From the Latin word 

 " fario " comes the German name " forelle." This fish is the trout of all 

 English writers, the trout of Izaak Walton, and its scientific name is 

 Salmo fario. 



Half wav between the salmon and the trout there is a large trout 

 which lives mostly in the estuaries of the rivers, sometimes mistaken 

 for salmon, sometimes for trout, rarely ascending the rivers very far, 

 and seldom venturing far into the sea. This is the Trutta of the Latin 

 authors, from which the word "trout" originally comes, although, as it 

 has happened, the word " fario " has become, in its various forms, the 

 name of the trout in all the German* and Scandinavian countries, while 

 derivatives of the word " trutta " have come to mean the same fish in 

 the Latinf countries and with the English. The scientific name of this 

 large fish, half salmon and half trout in appearance, altogether trout 

 in fact, is Salmo trutta, and to this fish properly belongs the name of 

 Salmon trout. 



There are thus in England, whence our names have come, three 

 species of black-spotted silvery fishes of this family: (1) The Salmon, 

 largest of all and anadromous, that is, running up the rivers to spawn, 

 and living in the sea; (2) the Trout, living in the brooks and the lakes 

 only; (3) the Salmon trout, which stands between the two. All three 



* German, Forelle; Danish, Forelse, etc. 



+ French, Truite; Spanish, Trucha; English, Trout, etc. 



