298 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



bow trout were abundant and indigenous in streams of a very warm 

 climate, the government authorities before noted, without giving the 

 matter close attention, arrived at the conclusion that this fish would 

 thrive in waters of a higher temperature than the eastern brook 

 trout, or charr, and so publicly expressed themselves. The result was 

 that as soon as the first lot of fry were ready for distribution, there 

 was a widespread and great demand for them. Many of these fish 

 were placed in streams the water of which was as high as 70 

 degrees, and in which there was not even the compensation of aera- 

 tion by extreme rapidity of flow. -To the surprise of those who 

 stocked streams of this character and even many waters in which 

 speckled trout lived, there was not a vestige of the fish. Of the 

 hundreds of streams in this state stocked with rainbow trout fry 

 supplied by the government and by the Pennsylvania Commis- 

 sioners scarcely any planted in the early years of the experiment 

 yielded any returns. At length the secret was discovered. 



" In taking the climate of California as a basis for the expression 

 of belief that the rainbow trout would thrive in water of a higher 

 temperature than the eastern brook trout, the authorities made a 

 grave error. While the climate was much warmer, the waters 

 in which the rainbow trout had their original home was of 

 the coldest, purest character, having their sources in the perpetual 

 ice and snow of the mountains. As a matter of fact, instead of 

 thriving in warmer water, the rainbow trout actually demanded 

 colder water for their well-being than the eastern trout. Since this 

 discovery the planting of rainbow trout has met with greater suc- 

 cess but the work is still far from being satisfactory." 



As previously noted, Bean says that its food as well as its habitat 

 is similar to that of the brook trout and that both fishes will live in 

 harmony in the same waters. In another publication (Bean, '97) 

 he says of the rainbow trout : " Contrary to what has been stated 

 heretofore, they will not endure high temperature as well as brook 

 trout." 



On the other hand, in a discussion of a paper read at a meeting 

 of the American Fisheries Society (Seagle, '02), Mr. Titcomb, 

 among other things said : " These rainbows have been introduced 

 in New England and New York State, and in most cases have dis- 

 appeared after a short time. I have in mind one stream where rain- 

 bow trout were introduced by accident. A gentleman had a private 

 pond and reared some rainbow trout and they got into this stream 

 which was a natural trout stream, but the lower end of it warmed 

 up too much in summer for speckled trout. These rainbows held 

 their own in that stream for a number of years, but all the best 

 fishing was at the lower end in warm water, but they did breed 

 there naturally for a time — in fact at one time there were three 

 rainbow trout to one speckled trout — and yet today you perhaps 

 catch in that stream in the course of a season a dozen rainbow trout, 

 but the speckled trout still holds its own. There are lots of places 

 in Vermont where we have introduced rainbow trout and they have 

 entirely disappeared — just the reverse of Mr. Dean's experience 

 in Missouri." 



