896 FISHES SALMONIDJE. 



bers, and none but mature fishes are taken. The larger ones are less 

 numerous, and it is claimed that the average weight of the Trout is less 

 than in former years. 



Like other Salmonaids, the Lake Trout has proved to be well adapted 

 to artificial culture. The one drawback with them is the difficulty of 

 obtaining the spawn in October, when the rough weathef renders a visit 

 to the spawning grounds a matter of hardship and danger. " 



Herbert says, " A coarse, heavy, stiff rod, a long and powerful, oiled 

 hempen or flaxen line, on a winch, with a heavy sinker; a cod-hook 

 baited with any kind of flesh, fish, or fowl is the most successful, if not 

 the most orthodox or scientific, mode of capturing him. His great size 

 and immense strength alone give him value as a fish of game; but when 

 hooked, he pulls strongly and fights hard, though he is a boring, deep 

 fighter, and seldom, if ever, leaps out of the water like the true Salmon 

 or Brook Trout." 



The species or variety known as the " Siscowet" has thus far only been 

 seen in Lake Superior. Its habits are thus summed by Mr. Milner : 



" With the rare exceptions of young specimens found near the shore, 

 it is taken entirely with gill-nets in deep water. It is a remarkably fat 

 fish, and as a fresh fish, is very inferior for the table. Even boiled, it is 

 oily and rank in flavor. As a salt fish packed in brine, it is most excel- 

 lent, and is universally admitted to surpass either White-fish or Trout. 

 Its range of depth is outside of forty fathoms. How much deeper than 

 this it may be found, I cannot tell, as no fishing at greater depth than 

 fifty fathoms came under my observation in Lake Superior. The stom- 

 achs were found to be filled with a Cottoid. This seemed to be its entire 

 article of food in the vicinity of the Apostles' Islands. 



'* They spawn earlier in the fall than any other of the Salmonoida in 

 the lakes. By the latter part of August, the spawn in some of them is 

 ripe and running freely, while in the month of September the females 

 are all ripe and depositing spawn. They seemed to have no migratory 

 instinct at this season, but were taken while spawning in the santie vi- 

 cinity, where they had been taken for weeks previously." 



Genus 53. SALVELINUS. Kiohardson. 



Salvelinna (Nillson), Eichaedson, Fanna Bor.-Amer., lii, 1836. 

 Baione, DeKay, New York Fauna, Fishes, 1842. 

 JSlmbla, Eapp. 



Type, Salmo ealvelinua, L. 



Etymology, an old name of the Earopean Chari; Oerman, Salbling. 



