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appearance of their herds. Besides this they produce the 

 best bait for cod-fish. 



The specimens of the fam. Agonidae, Liparidae and 

 Blennidae besides being of scientific interest serve as food 

 to Chiridae and Cottidae. Of the latter family the sea- 

 wolf (Anarrhichas) might be of particular importance, but 

 it multiplies in very small quantities and besides it could 

 scarcely be an object of trading, as there are so many 

 more valuable species to be found. In regard to trade 

 the specimens of Salmo are of the greatest importance. 



On the Commander Islands one can find nearly all 

 representatives of this species belonging to the Asiatic 

 and American shores, but as regards quantity and econo- 

 mic signification the first place belongs to the red fish 

 (Nerka). 



Its flesh, though it has not any particular taste (as 

 for instance the king-salmon), is preferable for canning, 

 as well as for salting. The redness of the flesh (a deep 

 red) does not lose its colour after canning; the delicate 

 coloured (with the exception of the silver salmon) flesh 

 of other fish lose their colour after, an item that is greatly 

 valued, especially by the consumers — the Anglo-Saxons. 

 In salt the flesh of this species keeps better, than any other 

 species. On photographs we see fishes, that only just 

 leaving the sea for the rivers, as well as those that thrive 

 in rivers. The confirmed opinion of Middendorf, that the 

 fish Salmo coming into the rivers to spawn (Todtvandern) 

 are sure to perish-according to observations on the Com- 

 mander Islands is only partty correct; the young thriving 

 fishes float back into the sea. Behring Isl. presents an 

 ideal place for biological observations for the breeding 

 of salmon. The arrival and thriving of red fish begin by 

 much sooner on the Commander Islands, than on the east 

 shore of the Kamtchatka peninsula. 



The local population prepare the fish in a dry and 

 dried up way, the damp climate does not permit a good 

 produce. The fish is salted very slightly, as the natives 



