.J^^- 



teflE:60nNission 



wisdom of so doing. Many fishermen, enthusiastic over the game or food qualities 

 of fish, will insist upon planting the variety whether suitable for the selected 

 waters or present varieties or not. In this way the progeny of a planting of black 

 bass, made in Echo Lake near the head of Flathead Lake some years ago, have 

 been carried from the land-locked lake where first planted to the Flathead River 

 and from thence have spread until now they are found all the way along Flat- 

 head Lake and its outlet as far as Thompson Falls, a distance of not less than one 

 hundred miles. While this fish is a fine, gamey and edible variety, much esteemed 

 by anglers, it is very destructive to trout and other varieties and for this reason 

 its planting has always been discouraged. 



Predatory Brown Trout. 



Another instance of unwise planting of a new variety is found in the Madison 

 River where Loch Leven or Brown trout have been planted by the United States 

 authorities and are very numerous. The earliest instance we find of the propaga- 

 tion of this variety is in the j-eport of the Commission of Fisheries for 1902, in 

 which year a small number were hatched and distributed from the Northville Sta- 

 tion in Michigan, Manchester Station in Iowa and Leadville Station in Colorado. 

 The date when this variety was planted in the Madison River is not known, but 

 it can safely be said that it is rapidly becoming the predominating type in the 

 upper reaches of this river and that it is very predatory in its habits. This has 

 been the observation of all having experience with the fish where planted. In 

 the Gunnison River in Colorado, we understand that efforts are made to rid the 

 waters of the fish because of its predatory habits. It is particularly unfortunate 

 that plantings of this variety have been made in the Madison River, for this is 

 one of the Montana homes of the Grayling. The more aggressive habits of the 

 Loch Leven trout, its undoubted canhibalistic tendencies coupled with an activity 

 and swiftness hardly equalled by other fishes makes it a dangerous denizen. 



Game but DestructiTe. 



It is hard to describe the fish in detail, but in general, it may be said to be 

 slim and symmetrical in form with a long head, larger scales than either the 

 Native or Rainbow trout, with irregular shaped black spots and the male fish 

 having in addition, bright red spots along its sides. Its mouth is provided with 

 many sharp inturned teeth, which make it a dangerous enemy to other kinds of 

 fish not so well armed. To do the fish justice it must be admitted that its game 



(11) 



"Where the Fishes Play" 



