300 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



were also introduced. Steelhead trout were also introduced into the 

 same stream. The propagation of steelhead trout was undertaken 

 much later than that of the rainbow, and their eggs have always 

 been taken from undoubted steelhead trout from Oregon and Wash- 

 ington. Unfortunately a long discussion of names of the rainbow 

 and steelhead confused the minds of fish culturists and many were 

 misled to believe that the rainbow trout and steelhead were one 

 and the same species, and they accordingly mixed them and propa- 

 gated and distributed them together as rainbow trout. 



However, prior to the United States Fish Commission trout 

 operations in the AlcCloud River, the State of Xew York under- 

 took the introduction of western trout into Xew York waters. Bean 

 ('09a. p. 250) says : 



" Importations of California brook trout were received with the 

 intention of placing them in New York waters. On March 31. 

 1875. 1800 eggs were received, but a number of them were lost 

 in transportation, and on January 7. 1876, there were 260 alive, 

 looking fine and healthy, and about three inches long. 



" At Caledonia, according to the Tenth Report, a pond con- 

 tained trout of this kind which were then about two and one-half 

 years old. They were considerably larger than brook trout of the 

 same age. They are a hardier fish and do well in Xew York waters. 

 Xo eggs have yet been given by these fish. 



" The Commissioners recognized two kinds of trout in California. 

 the mountain trout and the ]\IcQoud River trout. 



" In the spring of 1875 the Commissioners received 500 eggs of 

 the mountain trout from ]Mr. Xewell. of San Francisco. Of these 

 300 hatched : they lived and grew until they were three years old 

 and commenced to spawn, which was in the spring of 1878. They 

 then weighed a pound apiece and only twent}--five of them had 

 died. The remaining 275 gave 64.000 eggs which when hatched 

 were distributed throughout the State, with the exception of 17,000 

 retained at the hatchery for breeders. In the spring of 1879 there 

 were of the old fish 260 still alive, and they being then older and 

 larger than the year pre%-ious produced 94,000 young. These were 

 all distributed but 34,000 of which we lost scarcely any, so that in 

 January. 1880, we have about 250 five years old. 17,000 two years 

 old. and 34.000 one year old " 



" Of the ]\IcCloud River trout eggs 5,000 were obtained in 1879 

 by an exchange for an equal number of our brook trout eggs. They 

 hatched in the spring of that year, and at the time of the Eleventh 

 Report they had by actual count made, while moving them from 

 one pond to another, 4.742. showing a loss of only five per cent in 

 both hatching and raising." 



From the foregoing it is seen that even from the beginning the 

 Xew York Commissioners recognized two kinds of trout, but 

 whether they recognized differences of structure or appearance or 

 just a difference of names is not known. As a matter of fact the 

 " mountain trout " and McCloud River trout were distinct species. 



