CHAPTER VII 



THE SALMON FAMILY 

 (^Salmonidce') 



This is quite an extensive family, embracing 

 the salmons, trouts, and whitefishes, and is char- 

 acterized principally by an adipose fin and small, 

 smooth scales. It is my province to consider 

 only the Rocky Mountain whitefish and the cisco, 

 as the salmons and trouts are described in an- 

 other volume of this series. There are a number 

 of whitefishes, but none of them can be con- 

 sidered game-fishes except the one about to be 

 described, as they rarely or never take the fly or 

 bait. 



Coregonus ■williamsoni. Rocky Mountain Whitefish. Head i,\ to 

 5 ; depth 4 to 5 ; eye 4I ; D. 1 1 to 14 ; A. 1 1 to 13 ; scales 8 to 

 10-83 to 87-7 to 10 ; body oblong, little compressed ; head 

 short, conic, the profile rather abruptly decurved ; snout com- 

 pressed and somewhat pointed at tip, which is below the level 

 of the eye ; preorbital broad, | the width of the eye ; maxillary 

 short and very broad, reaching to the anterior margin of eye, 

 and is contained 4 times in length of head ; mandible 3 times ; 

 gill-rakers short and thick, 9 -I- 15; pectoral fin i^ in head; 

 ventral i| ; adipose fin large, extending behind the anal fin. 

 203 



