190S.] 



FISHES. 



507 



In August, 1903, while following the canoe route between Great 

 Slave Lake and MacTavish Bay, Great Bear Lake, my party sub- 

 sisted to a considerable extent on these fish. We had more success 

 with the nets in Lake St. Croix and Lake Hardist}^ than in any other 

 j^laces, mainly because it so happened that on these lakes we encamped 

 at especially favorable fishing places. On one occasion a net about 

 75 feet in length took during the night 20 whitefish averaging about 

 4 pounds each. Large whitefish (the species is probably G. henni- 

 cotti) also occur in Great Bear Lake, and Ave took a few. 



At least two species of G oregonus^ the smaller of which is called 

 locally • broken nose,' are abundant in the lower Peel and Mackenzie 

 rivers nearh- throughout the summer. Specimens of both were taken 

 but were lost. Kennicott also took both species and gave some notes 

 on their habits. ])ut as his specimens also were lost I am unable to 

 identify the species. It is evident that a full collection of Avhitefishes 

 from this region is still especially desirable. 



Argyrosomus tullibee (Richardson). Tullibee. 



The foregoing notes on Goregoniis refer in part to this species, as 

 it is taken together with species of that genus in many places north 

 to the Arctic coast, if the local name ' tullibee ' is distinctive. It is 

 mentioned in many narratives, and the name is in common use 

 throughout the region for a certain species. Pere Giroux informed 

 me that these fish are extremely abundant at Arctic Red River in 

 September, when they come in from the sea and spawn in very deep 

 basins in the Mackenzie, where as many as a hundred may be taken 

 in a net sunk to the bottom. They remain during October. My 

 specimens having been lost, the identification is not positive. 



Simpson re]:)orted ' tullibee ' taken near the mouth of the Copper- 

 mine.'' 



Argyrosomus lucidus (Richardson). Great Bear Lake Herring; Her- 

 I'ing Whitefish. 



This little whitefish, first described by Doctor Richardson from 

 Great Bear Lake, is an important food fish. It is extremely abundant 

 in that lake, and also ascends the Mackenzie, Anderson, and other 

 rivers in summer, presumably to spawn. Pere Giroux, of Arctic 

 Red River, informed me that it passes there on its way up the Mac- 

 kenzie about the second- or third week in June, remaining abtmdant 

 about three weeks; that it is taken nearly all summer about Fort 

 Good Hope ; and that it returns to the mouth of the Mackenzie in late 

 autumn. It was just appearing at Fort Good Hope on June 20, 1904. 

 It ascends the river at least to Fort Simpson, and numbers are taken 



« Narrative Discoveries on North Coast of America, p. 267, 1843. 



