HISTORY OF THE PACIFIC SALMON. 591 



244 inches at the time of capture near the end of the fourth 

 svimmer. 



The scale of a .Sockeye, also taken at New Westminster in 

 August, is shown in text-fig. 106, In the case of this fish, the 

 entry into the sea seems to have coincided with the end of the 

 first year's growth. That is to say, it was some time during the 

 winter 1909-10. The readings from 20 scales show it to have 

 been then 2| inches long. At the end of its second year it was 

 11| inches long, at the end of its third year 21.j inches, and when 

 captured 26| inches. 



The great difference in growth of the three fish in the second 

 year is very noticeable, but it seems quite natural, and goes far 

 to confirm the accuracy of my leading of the jDarr scale, when it 

 is observed that the fish which aj^pears to have spent the whole 

 of its second year in the sea has gi'own most, and that the one 

 which spent the longest part of it in frtsh water has made the 

 least progress. 



It is further to be noticed that these fish all returned to spawn 

 wlien of the same age, namely at the end of their fourth year. I 

 have the scales of nine Sockeyes from the Fraser Rivei-. They 

 varied in weight from 3^ to 8| lbs., but all are in their fourth 

 year. In British Columbia the Sockeyes weigh from 3 to 10 lbs. 

 Fish up to 17 lbs. have been caught, but over 10 lbs. they are very 

 rare. I thei-efore seem to have got specimens of all the average 

 weights. That they are all of the same age may be an accident, 

 but much more probably it is not, and if it is not an accident it 

 is a fact of the utmost importance to the Fraser River District. 



In the Fraser River the run of Sockeyes in eveiy fourth year, 

 the year after leap year, is almost six times as large as in any of 

 the intervening periods of three years, and this has been the case 

 as long as records go back. Whether the fourth years have shot 

 ahead of the others, or whether all years were once eqvial to them 

 will never be known, but most likely adverse breeding seasons in 

 the intermediate years have gradually diminished the stock. If 

 it proves upon fui'ther examination of scales that every Sockeye 

 returns to breed in its fourth year in this district, it might well 

 be centuries before the breeding stock, once diminished, increased 

 to its original numbers. British Columbia has now only one 

 season out of four up to what might be the mark ; and, if I am 

 right, the inference is obvious that the efforts of the hatcheries 

 should be devoted chiefly to the collection of ova in the lean years 

 even if they have to import them from other districts. In the 

 springs of 1906 and 1910, the years following the last two big 

 years, 100,479,000 and 105,312,500 Sockeyes were liberated from 

 British Columbian hatcheries. In the intermediate yeais the 

 numbers were only 36,965,900; 51,855,200; and 41,909,500. 

 My contention is, that if it is humanly possible the numbers 

 hatched out in the seasons following the lean years should be 

 made even greater than after the fat years. Some people may 

 say, " But how do we know that if we tui-n out fry in the Fraser 



