THE GOLDEN TROUT. 15 



/South F'i'rk of Kirn River. — Thi.s stream has alread}' been inentioned and 

 described in part. It ri.ses southeast of Cirque Peak on the east side of a high 

 mountain ridge separating it from Volcano Creeii. For the first six or seven miles 

 its course is west of south until it enters Toowa Valley near the tunnel; there it 

 turns abruptly to the southeast. After flowing through South Fork of Kern Meadows 

 it turns southward, which course it follows for several miles, and then, turning west- 

 ward, enters the main Kern River a few miles south of Kernville. 



The stream was examined by us only in that portion of its course easily reached 

 from the tunnel. At that place it is smaller than Volcano Creek, but below South 

 Fork of Kern Meadows it becomes a considerable stream. At the lower end of these 

 meadows it receives from the north a tributarj'^ known as "Mulky Ci'eek," a small 

 stream of special interest IxTuuse of the fact that the trout with which Cottonwood 

 Creek was originally stncknl came from it. 



Cottomriioil (_'/; ,/,-.- A few words should be .said of the waters of the east side of 

 the southern High Sierras. Numerous streams of greater or less importance having 

 their headwaters on the eastern slopes of this range flow directly into Owens Lake 

 or into its most important tributary, Owens River. Lone Pine Creek and Turtle 

 Creek have their sources on the east side of IMount Whitney, Mount Le Conte, and 

 Sheep Mountain, opposite Whitney and Rock creeks, and, flowing eastward about 

 14: miles, enter Owens River at Lone Pine. Cottonwood Creek rises on the eastern 

 slopes of Sheep Mountain and Cirque Peak opposite the headwaters of Rock and 

 Volcano creeks and flows southeast about 15 or 18 miles to Owens Lake. Well toward 

 the head of Cottonwood Creek arc said to be some small lakes. All of these streams, 

 so far as known, were originally without trout of any kind. Some of them, however, 

 have been stocked. The circum.stances attending the stocking of Cottonwood Creek 

 are explained elsewhere in this report (p. 3.3). 



THE FISHES OF THE KERN RIVER REGION. 



There are not many species of fishes in the Kern River region. Two species of 

 suckers, three of minnows (Cyprinida?), and two of trout seem to be all that have 

 been recorded. But the sti'eams and lakes have not been carefully investigated and 

 it is quite probable other species will be found when more thorough collections are 

 made. Of the two suckers only one was obtained by us. Specimens of the three 

 minnows were secured. As regards the trout, our collections contain more species 

 than have hitherto been recorded from the region, there lieing at least six represented. 

 They are all save one regarded a.s belonging to the rainbow trout series and are 

 as follows: (1) the Kern River trout [Sifli/w gilhertl), occurring only in Kern River; 

 (2) Salmo ag7ia-honita, native only to the South Fork of the Kern and its tributa- 

 ries, i)ut introduced from it into Cottonwood Creek; (3) the golden trout of Volcano 

 Creek, which does not occur in any other stream; (4) the Soda Creek trout, found 

 throughout the basin of the Little Kern and in Coj'ote Creek and introduced 

 from Soda Creek into the headwaters of the South Fork of the Kaweah; (5) the 

 common rainbow trout {Salmo shasta), widely introduced by the state fish commis- 

 sion into the waters of the state and found by us in the headwaters of the Middle 

 Tule, the lower course of the South Fork of the Kaweah, the Middle Fork of the 



