NOTES ON THE LEAPING OF THE 

 PACIFIC SALMON 



By Henry B. Ward, 

 university of illinois, i'rbana, ill. 



Bolli Story and sons^- are replete with praises of the leaping 

 pow'cis of the salmon. Th.e energy, grace and precision with 

 which it is able to snrmonnl the rocky harriers in its native 

 streams are exploited by natnralist as well as fisherman until 

 I think it fair to sa}' that the general public regard it as exem- 

 pli tying the most perfect natural development of the leaping 

 power. :M1 of these descriptions are written no doubt with 

 reference to the Atlantic species. Saliiio salar, which has a 

 wide range along both coasts of the .\tlantic Ocean, and since 

 the time of the Romans at least has been the faxorite of 

 angler and epicure alike. Its peculiar right and title to the 

 popular name has caused Professor Goode to write of it: 

 "Saliiio solar, the only true salmon in the wdiole group of 

 nearly one hundred species of the SalmonidcC. has always 

 stood preeminent, like a Scottisli chieftain, needing no other 

 name than that of his clan." 



It has never been my good fortune to be alile to obserx'e 

 the Atlantic salmon in its native haunts and I have no accu- 

 rate data by which to measure precisely the accounts of its 

 powers which appear in prose and poetry. Two years ag(^. 

 however, I was privileged to s])end some time under the 

 auspices of the United States Bureau of Fisheries in the 

 study of the Pacific salmon in Alaska and at that time made 

 certain observations on the leaping power of the species 

 {Oncorhyiiclius ncrka) commonl}- known as the Alaska or 

 red salmon. I am indebted to the Hon. Geo. M. Bowers 

 for this opportunity and foi- permission to make use of the 



