REPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 103 



report of the Bureau. The work has been in charge of Dr. W. C. 

 Kendall, who has continued his inquiries during the past fiscal year. 



Eagle Lakes of Aroostook County. — Twenty-six species of fishes 

 were collected in this region, a greater number than has been found 

 in any other locality of like extent in Maine. The food fishes are 

 chiefly members of the salmon family, and include the landlocked 

 salmon {Sglmo sehago), lake trout or togue {Cristivomer namyacush)^ 

 square-tail trout {Salvelinus fontinaUs), and white-fish {Coregonus 

 labradoricus^ C. stanleyi.^ and O. quadrilateralis). Species conspicu- 

 ously abundant in the southern half of the state, such as eels, yellow 

 perch, white perch, and pickerel, do not occur in this chain of lakes, 

 although yellow perch are not uncommon in the St. Johns River, of 

 which Fish River, in this region, is a tributary. 



The landlocked salmon, steelhead trout {Salmo gairdneri)., and smelt 

 ( Osmerus 7nordax) have been introduced here. The steelhead has not 

 since been recognized, but in about ten years the salmon has increased 

 greatly in numbers and attained large size, due to the peculiar suita- 

 bility of these waters to its needs, and doubtless also to the introduction 

 of the smelt, upon which it feeds. In about five years the latter 

 species has attained a length of 12 or 13 inches, as ascertained by actual 

 measurement. 



Of the three species of white-fishes here represented, Coregonus 

 lahradoricus is the largest. It reaches a weight of at least 6 pounds, and 

 is very abundant. Another form ( C. stanleyi., until recently unde- 

 scribed) is much smaller, attaining a weight of scarcely more than one- 

 fourth pound, but is extremely numerous. It, with the young of the 

 others and the smelt, probably affords the bulk of the food of the trout 

 and salmon. The round white-fish {C. qtiadrilateralis) was found to 

 reach 1 pound in weight, but seemed to be not abundant. 



This region was visited again in November, 1903, for the purpose of 

 ascertaining the identity of a large trout locally known as the "snow- 

 shoe trout," and to study the breeding habits of the various species of 

 Salmonidge, occurring there. It was considered of importance to fish 

 culture to determine the feeding habits of these fishes at their spawning 

 time. 



On several occasions young salmon {8. sehago) 6 or 8 inches long 

 were observed eating the eggs of trout {S. fontinalis) as they were 

 deposited. No salmon were observed upon the spawning grounds, 

 owing to their being taken in a weir for fish-cultural purposes by the 

 state commission. White-fish ascended the streams, or "thorough- 

 fares," at night for the purpose of spawning, and were followed by 

 large numbers of suckers {Catostomus commersonii),, which, were found 

 feeding upon the eggs. A few small cusk {Lota maculosa), also, were 

 eating the eggs of white-fish, and it was learned that adult white-fish 

 feed largely upon the eggs of their own kind and the young upon 



