320 ZOOLOGY. 



arrive and to die." Again, he says of the stzoln, "they are not found dead, and are supposed 

 to return to the sea." 



The Nisqually Indians say that the majority of the TVhwhai salmon return to salt water after 

 spawning; that many of the skowitz return, but that more die in fresh water. They think that 

 but few of the other species, in proportion to their numbers, ever get back into salt water. 

 The huddole, especially, generally die in fresh water, and they doubt if these return at all, or, 

 if they do, only a few lucky individuals escape. 



I am assured, by a reliable observer, that he has found, in the autumn, the banks and 

 sand bars of the Cowlitz river — a stream emptying into the Columbia at a comparatively short 

 distance from the ocean — lined with dead and dying salmon. This argues in favor of death 

 occurring more according to diflerence in sjiecies than from fatigue or distance from the sea. 

 Fatigue and distance, however, have full weight in increasing the mortality. In conclusion we 

 therefore ventui-e to suggest that probably certain individuals of all anadronions sjoecies do 

 return to the sea after spawning; but that the comparative numbers of individuals thus 

 returning is varied, cwteris joaribus, by distance from the sea, or the character of the streams 

 traversed; and that the desire or instinct to return to the ocean after performing the sexual 

 duties is much more strongly manifest in certain species than in others. 



The incurvation of the extremities of the intermaxillaries and chin, in certain species, varies 

 greatly with the age and sex. According to some observers the femaks of particular kinds are 

 always destitute of the "hooked snout," while the adult male, even when in good condition, 

 always has a lengthened decurved intermaxillary protuberance.* Other species, when in good 

 condition, have both jaws symmetrical; but, when emaciated, an apparent prolongation, in 

 a downward direction, of the intermaxillary protuberance is seen, and a corresponding- 

 exaggeration of the "knob" at the chin. Much of this is induced b3' the absorption of the 

 fat and shrinking of the tissues along the sides of the jaws, the deficiency in contour thus 

 produced by contrast causing the unabsorbed cartilaginous extremities to appear as if 

 unnaturally developed. Examples of this are seen in the changes found in the mouth of the 

 S. qu'mnat at different seasons, and also in that of the European 8. salar. Indeed, I think it 

 probable that nnicli of the confusion in the synonomy of some of the European species has been 

 caused by mistaking certain fish, which, in other respects, agree closely, but have the 

 apparently elongated extremities to the snout and chin, for other species possessing normally 

 their characteristics when not emaciated, and which, in other respects, agree very closely. 

 Perhaps in this way the S. salar and S. Jiamatus have been confounded. Beyond a question 

 the adult male S. scoideri lias the decurved cartilaginous protuberance always well marked, 

 which the female equally often lacks. The fresh run si^ecies,' known as the S. quinnat, when in 

 good order has a mouth with regular outline in both sexes. I have, at times, noticed, in very 

 large and fat individuals, that the snout was enlarged and somewhat decurved. I account for 

 this by supposing that they are fish which, having been much emaciated from spawning at some 

 previous season, had returned to the sea. Becoming recuperated and much increased in size, 

 they have again ascended the rivers for the purpose of procreating, their condition and flesh 

 havins; been entirely regained, with the exception of the fat deposits about the bones of the 

 mouth. This theory, although, perhaps, fanciful and incorrect, is the best that we can off'er 

 while situated so remotely from the field, where alone the history of the fish can be thoroughly 

 ascertained. As a reason why, on the contrary, the foregoing speculation may prove false is 

 ~ See remarks concerning this character contained in the account of S. scouleri. 



