140 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The following extracts from my field notebook indicate the rapidity of growth 
of fungus, and show a condition rather worse than the average, though by no means 
exceptional. The two descriptions refer to the same specimen; first, on September 
30, when it was caught and tagged and returned to the creek; and second, on October 
4, when it was found dead against the rack: 
September 30.— Male, ripe, weight 2,800 grams. A notch in left pectoral, a slit in dorsal; 
caudal with a few small dead spots, one worn through; 3 parasites on left gill, 7 on right; whole top 
of head and upper edge of pectoral fins covered with fungus; skin partly worn off sides of tail. 
October 4. — Fungus covering following portions of fish; whole top and sides of head to below 
eyes, lower jaw, back in front of dorsal, edges and bases of pectoral fins, upper side of ventrals, a 
spot behind right pectoral and one on back before adipose fin, half of adipose fin, spot behind left 
pectoral, left side below dorsal nearly to lateral line and half way to adipose fin, base of anal on 
left side, and belly behind ventrals. Left gill with seven streaks of two or three dead filaments 
each; a little fungus on each dead portion; a small patch of fungus at tip of gill matting together 
the filaments of all the arches. Right gill with a patch of fungus at tip matting together filaments 
from all the arches, and another anteriorly on the inner arches. Skin of tail and most of caudal 
fin dead; some of caudal rays gone. 
There were worse cases of fungus than the one here described, but this shows 
what can grow in four days. Another specimen that was in good, condition when 
tagged November 1 was “half covered with fungus” when seen last on the 8th. 
The iiest almost disappeared in December. Figures D and E of plate 15 show 
the extent to which salmon are sometimes affected with fungus. 
Grill parasites. — Another common pest of the salmon in fresh water is a parasitic 
copepod which attaches itself to the gill filaments. There are usually not very many 
on one fish, but sometimes the gills are almost destroyed by them. Plate 15 shows 
an extreme example. The gills sometimes decay without being affected with fungus 
or parasites, as Avas found in a specimen at Battle Creek fishery, October 7, 1900, in 
which one-third of the gill filaments were dead. (See also plate 13.) 
Diseased ova. — In all of the females found dying during September and October, 
1900, the oati Avere more or less diseased. Sometimes there Avere only a feAv addled 
and misshapen ova crowded into the interstices of the healthy ova, but sometimes 
almost all were addled. Occasionally there were a feAv abnormally large ova, half an 
inch or more in diameter, and in a specimen taken October 12, 1900, nearly all Avere 
in this condition. In another taken about the same time half Avere of this charac- 
ter, Avliile the normal ova had been spawned. In another a third of the ova were 
addled, and the others had absorbed water and were turgid. See fig. C, plate 15. 
Length of life of fall salmon after reaching spawning -grounds. — September 30, 
1900, numbered metallic tags Avere attached to 3 male salmon, Avhich were then 
released in the pool between the racks at Battle Creek fishery; 1 of these Avas found 
dead October 5, having survived 5 days. October 22, 36 others were tagged and 
released in the pool; 27 of these Avere seen at various times, some of them cpiite fre- 
quently, up to November 1, and 5 of them Avere found dead within that time, the 
maximum time being 10 days. On October 25 36 Avere tagged and released in the 
creek below the racks; 8 of these Avere found dead on the racks up to November 10, 
a period of 16 days. Four Avere tagged and released in the mouth of the creek, 
about 2 miles beloAv the fishery, on November 4. One of these Avas seen on the 5th 
and again on the 8tlx, when it was almost dead, a period of 4 days. November 9, 39 
Avere tagged and released in the river below the mouth of Battle Creek; 3 were seen 
at the fishery on the 16tli, 7 days afterwards. 
