THE SALMON FAMILY. 4I 
spawning season of the white-fish the lake herring 
feeds on the ova of the latter, thereby doing a 
great amount of mischief. As food, this species is 
fair, but much inferior to the white-fish. Its geo- 
graphical distribution is essentially the same, but 
to a greater degree it frequents shoal waters. In 
the small lakes around Lake Michigan, in Indiana 
and Wisconsin (Tippecanoe, Geneva, Oconomo- 
woc, etc.), the cisco has long been established; 
and in these waters its habits have undergone 
some change, as has also its external appearance. 
These lake ciscoes remain for most of the year in 
the depths of the lake, coming to the surface only 
in search of certain insects, and to shallow water 
only in the spawning season. This periodical dis- 
appearance of the cisco has led to much foolish 
discussion as to the probability of their returning 
by an underground passage to Lake Michigan 
during the periods of their absence. One author, 
confounding “ cisco” with “ siscowet,” has assumed 
that this underground passage leads to Lake Su- 
perior, and that the cisco is identical with the 
fat lake trout which bears the latter name. The 
name “lake herring” alludes to the superficial 
resemblance which this species possesses to the 
marine herring, a fish of quite a different family. 
Closely allied to the lake herring is the Blue-fin 
of Lake Michigan and of certain lakes in New 
York (Coregonus nigripinnis), a fine large species 
inhabiting deep waters, and recognizable by the 
blue-black color of its lower fins. In Alaska and 
Siberia are still other species of the cisco type 
(Coregonus lauretta, C. merki, C. nelsont); and in 
