

250 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [14] 



stinct keeps them from going down the river, and the obstruction keeps 

 them from going up the river, so that they are practically confined or, 

 as the Californians say, " corraled " in the river just below the dam. The 

 clam is usually constructed just above the fishing ground, where the fish 

 collect in great numbers, and where they are not only safely confined 

 but easily caught. This method of collecting the parent salmon during 

 the spawning season in one place by putting an obstruction across the 

 river is absolutely indispensable for taking eggs in great numbers (un 

 less nature has already provided an equally effective obstruction), for 

 all the salmon, even in the most favorable localities, that could be caught 

 while passing on their way up the river would never be enough to far- 

 nish any very large quantity of eggs. 115'ow, in selecting a site for a sa^ 

 mon-breeding station this consideration must always be borne in mind, 

 for it is an essential condition of sucess. I need hardly say that acrosa 

 many rivers, especially the large and rapid ones, it is impracticable toi 

 place such an obstruction as has just been mentioned; and many a good 

 salmon river has been abandoned as a good breeding point because, al- 

 though salmon enough ascend the river, they could not be collected to- 

 gether in sufficient numbers anywhere, owing to the impracticability of 

 constructing a dam or fence across its channel. 



8. Security from high water and its attendant dangers. — 

 This is the last prerequisite of a salmon-breeding station which I will 

 mention, but it is not by Skuy means the least, nor is it a very easy one 

 to secure. I know of but very few good salmon rivers that are not 

 subject to dangerous and unmanageable freshets, and of course no pru- 

 dent person would knowingly build a station that could be destroyed 

 or rendered useless by high water. It might perhaps be carried on for 

 one or two seasons, but it is naturally only a question of time when 

 ^reat mischief would be caused. Sooner or later the rise in the river 

 will come and calamity will ensue. 



the location at the MOUTH OF THE LITTLE SPOKANE RIVER. 



I return now to the consideration of the qualifications of the mouth 

 of the Little Spokane Eiver as a suitable place for conducting large 

 operations in collecting and distributing salmon eggs. I think it is safe 

 to say that we are sure that this point combines all the favorable con 

 ilitions just enumerated, with possibly the very important exception oi 

 the first and most essential one of all, viz., the abundance of breeding 

 salmon. This was a question which could not be determined during 

 my examination of the place in July, because the run of breeding salmon 

 does not reach the Little Spokane until August, September being prob 

 ably the month when the spawning salmon are most abundant. All 

 the information we could collect on this very essential point of the: 

 abundance of salmon in the breeding season was what the Indian 

 gave in their vague and unsatisfactory way, and, although this informa 



