548 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



In the Rangeley Lakes region, doubtless, the trout spawn on every suitable shoal 

 and ascend every suitable stream when possible. The most famous spawning places are 

 Rangeley, Kennebago, and Cupsuptic Streams and the outlet of Mooselucmaguntic Lake 

 below Upper Dam. Mosquito, Sawmill, and Metallak Brooks are also of importance, and 

 "Beama," or Bemis Stream, has been mentioned in this connection. Kennebago Stream 

 is stated to be ascended sometimes as far as Kennebago Falls, which present insur- 

 mountable obstruction, but Capt. Barker stated that the 7 miles between its mouth and 

 the Ash Tree is the usual resort and probably furnishes Mooselucmaguntic and Cup- 

 suptic Lakes 75 per cent of their trout, but another writer in Forest and Stream, Novem- 

 ber 3, 1894, was of the opinion that nine-tenths of the Rangeley trout spawn in still 

 waters where the water was affected by springs. 



With the trout frequenting different shoals or streams, there are frequently differ- 

 ences of size of the fish composing the runs. One locality may comprise small fish, 

 another large ones, the individuals being of more or less uniform size. Regarding this 

 fact, having spoken of the anglers catching out big fish from those coining on to the 

 spawning grounds, Mr. Rich wrote : 



I am now referring to the largest brook trout, which run together in masses, all nearlythe same size, 

 or at least of 2 pounds weight and upward. One-pound trout, as a rule, spawn in entirely different locali- 

 ties and by themselves and commonly earlier in the season by some weeks. This is not, however, exclu- 

 sively so, for many i-pound trout are often mixed with larger ones on the spawning grounds. 



In American Angler, vol. vi, November 8, 1884, p. 297, Mr. Rich graphically described 

 the first run of trout in the Kennebago River in 1884, where, he said, from the last of 

 September to the freezing of the river in November, the trout resorted to spawn. He 

 wrote that on September 22, having been attracted by the splashing of the water, sound- 

 ing "like a drove of moose wading in the river," he saw a large school of trout, many of 

 which were of large size, jumping out of the water and going through various maneuvers 

 as they made their way up the river. They continued to run in large schools until all 

 the spawning beds up along the river were fully occupied. He said that the number of 

 trout running up the river could not be estimated, but that in the small space of about 5 

 rods the spawn takers secured 500 trout from October i to 12. 



By flapping away the sand and dirt the trout form shallow hollows in the gravel, 

 which serve as nests in which the eggs are deposited and covered with gravel or pebbles. 



Mr. Rich (loc. cit.) stated that the beds were made of small round pebbles piled up 

 in heaps, 3 or 4 feet across, and that these pebbles were carried in the fishes' mouths, 

 sometimes quite a distance. The beds accumulated sediment and river muss during the 

 year, and when the time for spawning drew near the male trout congregated near the 

 spawning grounds in great numbers and cleaned the beds and made them as bright as if 

 they had been polished. The fish then retired and in some ten days or two weeks 

 returned with the female trout in large schools, which lay around in the vicinity of the 

 beds until their time of deposit arrived. 



While most of this statement is doubtless correct, Mr. Rich apparently mistook old 

 chub nests for those of the trout, due perhaps from having observed the trout utilizing 

 them. He may have guessed that the trout carried the pebbles to the heaps in their 

 mouths. In another article regarding nests in Kennebago Stream he stated that his 

 observations there afforded no reason for changing his views of the manner of trout 

 spawning except that the beds there appeared to be flat and formed of small cobbles. 



