ZOOLOGY. 309 



becomes the worse confounded," and the naturalist is ahnost inclined to give up in despair the 

 task of unravelling the tangled and confused relations of the species composing the group. 

 To meet successfully these unfortunate obstacles to a clear exposition of the history of this 

 branch of the animal kingdom, especially as it exists on our Pacific coast, will yet require years 

 of patient labor and investigation. 



In preparing this report we have been guided to a great extent by the able work of Sir John 

 Richardson, contained in the pages of his Fauna Boreale Americana, and by the notes of Dr. 

 Gairdner published therein. For great assistance we are also indebted to the writings of Dr. 

 Charles Girard and J. Carson Brevoort, esq., as well as for the friendly services of both 

 gentlemen. Valuable manuscript notes have been furnished by Dr. James G. Cooper, George 

 Gibbs, esq., and Dr. C. B. Kennerh'. The three gentlemen last named have spent much time in 

 the northwest, engaged for the most part in scientific researches. During mj' own residence in 

 Oregon and Washington Territories I endeavored to obtain reliable information regarding this 

 group of fishes; but as I was engaged in many other pursuits, the data collected were not 

 nearly so complete as desired.* Since 1 returned to the Atlantic, Mr. Gibbs has very kindly 

 furnished me additional notes of his own, besides valuable memoranda communicated to him by 

 Mr. John Swan, of the Puyallup salmon fishery, (Puget Sound,) and by Angus McDonald, esq., 

 the officer in charge of the honorable Hudson Bay Company's trading post, Fort Colville. 



It would be highly desirable to trace out the connexions existing between the Salmonidae of 

 our Pacific coast and those of Russian Asia and Japan. Descriptions of many of these are 

 contained in Pallas' Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica, some of which have been alluded to while 

 treating on particular species in the earlier portion of this report. 



The anadromous salmon and trouts (those running up from the sea) are not found in Oregon 

 or Washington Territories above the great falls of the Clark's river, or on Snake river, (Lewis's 

 Fork of the Columbia,) above similar falls. The obstruction on Clark's river is about 200 miles 

 above its mouth; those of the Snake, some 275 miles above the Columbia. Concerning their 

 ascent of the Snake, Mr. George Gibbs communicates the following: "In some of the branches 

 of the Columbia salmon penetrate to the Rocky mountains, but they cannot ascend the Snake 

 above Rock creek, between Fort Boise and Fort Hall, where the great Shoshonee falls stop 

 them. Above this point there are fine trout. Fort Boise is a great fishing ground for the 

 Bannacks and other bands of the Shoshonee or Snake tribe, who would be famished if kept away 

 from that place during the fishing season. We found them taking salmon in vast numbers at 

 the end of August, 1849." 



In 1854 I visited Fort Boise myself, finding salmon exceedingly abundant in September and 

 October. They were then spawning, and seemed almost to fill the water in places suitable for 

 that purpose. The species, I presume, were principally the S. quinnat and S. gairdneri, but 

 as to this I am uncertain, as at that time I had not commenced to pay especial attention to the 

 subject. 



On the Columbia the best salmon are generally those which enter the river during the spring 

 and early summer months. These are the "common silver salmon," {S. quinnat,) square-tailed 

 salmon, {IS. gairdneri,) and ichite salmon, (perhaps the S. tsitppitch,) besides several other 

 species, such as the S. paucidens, &c., <fec., which are simply considered by the unscientific as 

 small individuals of the kinds named. The autumn and winter kinds are much inferior in flavor 



" Several valuable consignments of specimens of these fish, seat by me from Puget Sound and the Columbia river, were 

 lost en route to Washington city. 



