Abthue. — Notes on some Specimens of migratory Salmonidas. 185 



of the true salmon we have in these waters, and it refuses to thrive and 

 propagate when cut oif from the sea. Stoddart gives a striking instance of 

 this latter fact in his "Angler's Companion to the Lakes and Eivers of 

 Scotland." 



The habits of the quinnat so far as I can find them to have been observed 

 during the past, may be described as follows : — In the short coast-rivers 

 they spawn in January and February. In the large rivers of North-west- 

 ern America, which spring from the Eocky Mountains and other Sierras, 

 they spawn from June to September. The young fish descend to the sea 

 from these interior streams with the floods consequent on the melting of the 

 snow by the summer heat of the following year or season. They appear 

 then to remain in the sea and estuaries for several years, the grilse running 

 up the rivers a certain distance and then going back to the sea without 

 spawning. These journeys seem to become longer as the fish approaches 

 maturity, until the third or fourth year, when the female is in spawning 

 condition. After spawning (which the female only accomplishes once), she 

 dies, and but a small proportion of the males ever get back to the sea, as I 

 shall presently show more fully. The very largest fish occasionally caught, 

 are males, supposed to have survived several trips up the rivers, and to 

 have attained their great weight during their residence in salt water. 



This salmon may be caught with bait or spinning-lures in the estuaries 

 or bays on the coast ; but in the rivers they refuse artificial or natural flies 

 and baits of all kinds, excepting occasionally pieces of their own roe. 

 They never feed in the rivers. 



Some species of Cahfornian salmon spawn every year, others every 

 alternate year. 



The quinnat lives in rivers of California where the temperature of the 

 water has been found in August to rise as high as 84° Fahr. The English 

 salmon prefers cold, clear waters, and probably would die in water of so 

 high a temperature. 



As to the economic value of this salmon, it seems to me to be more than 

 doubtful. The following quotations I give from several authorities possessing 

 more or less information : — 



" Soon after commencing work I was encamped for many months on 

 the banks of the Chilukweyuk Eiver, a tributary of the Fraser. About a 

 mile from my camp was a large patch of pebbly ground, dry even at the 

 highest floods, through which a shallow stream found its way into the larger 

 river. Though barely of sufficient depth to cover an ordinary sized salmon, 

 yet I have seen that stream so filled that fish pushed one another out of the 

 water high-and-dry upon the pebbles. * * * It seems to me that 

 thousands of salmon ascending these small mountain streams never can 



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