How to obtain it. 291 
year. It had then attained a weight of only six and a half pounds, 
having in fourteen months just about doubled the weight gained 
by the other in two months. 
During a recent visit to the United States I obtained a mass 
of information concerning the habits of the various species of 
salmon inhabiting the waters of North America. By the kindness 
of Sir Julian Pauncefote, Her Majesty’s Ambassador at Wash- 
ington, to whom J had a letter of introduction, the way was made 
easy for me to investigate many matters of the deepest interest in 
connection with the fisheries. Asa rule things in America are on 
a much larger scale than they are here, and this is notably the 
case with regard to the fisheries. A single catch of salmon, for 
instance, on some of the Western rivers is sometimes as big as a 
whole year’s catch on a river over here. Seventeen species of 
salmon are recorded as occurring in Alaska alone, and the largest 
salmon of the world are credited to that territory. 
I am indebted to Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, who is a clever 
ichthyologist, and holds an important position on the United 
States Fish Commission, for his generous assistance in gathering 
particulars respecting the fisheries and fish-cultural operations of 
the United States. He has personally worked out upon the spot 
a good deal of what is known of the salmon of Alaska. The fish 
have been traced as far north as Hotham Inlet, and Dr. Bean 
says :—‘ The marine life of the Alaskan salmon is unknown from 
the time the young, in their newly-acquired silvery dress, leave 
the fresh-water nursery to become salt-water sailors, until they 
have ended their cruise, obtained their liberty and come ashore, 
when, as in the case of so many other salt-water sailors, their 
serious troubles begin. Salmon remain in fresh water until the 
second or third spring of their existence, and, not having a 
bountiful supply of food, they grow very. slowly, and seldom 
exceed eight inches in length when they start seaward. In the 
ocean they feed on the capeling, the herring, and a small needle- 
shaped fish called the lant. 
“As a rule, the fish remain at sea until they are about to 
deposit their eggs, and then approach the coast in great masses. 
A few young males accompany the schools every year, and may 
or may not return to sea without entering the rivers. The adult 
