WHITE TROUT. 
49 
it would have been easy to have decided whether the Sunapee White Trout was a Rangeley 
Blueback or not. Dr. Bean distinguished Salvelinus aureolus from S. oquassa by the following • 
differences : 
Sunapee Trout. 
1. Anal III 8. 
2. Immature 9 inches in length. 
3. Color of back in young, numerous dark 
blotches. 
4. Embryo with white lines at the upper and 
lower edges of caudal. 
5. Spawns in lake on shoals. 
6. Gill-rakers shorter and usually less num- 
erous and almost always curled. 
Blueback. 
Anal III 10. 
Mature 9 inches in length. 
Back uniform steel blue. 
No such white lines. 
Spawns in streams. 
More numerous and not curled. 
The first difference will not serve to distinguish them, as S. aureolus sometimes has 10 anal 
rays, but in general it is of significance especially when taken with other apparent differences 
that the usual anal fin formula in S. aureolus is 9, that of S. oquassa is 10 or 1 1. 
The second does not now obtain for mature 9-inch aureolus have been observed and oquassa 
IS known to reach the size of the average aureolus. 
The third is of no value as it is comparing an immature or young fish with a mature adult. 
The fourth is of little value as it refers to a character that was observed in S. aureolus but 
its absence in S. oquassa was conjectured. 
Fifth, the place of spawning is obviously not a specific distinction. 
Sixth, the gill-rakers of the large specimens of S. oquassa do not differ in number, length, 
or m curling and other distortions, from those of the Sunapee White Trout. 
Having weighed and found most of these supposed differences wanting, it remains to point 
out the differences, if any exist. The most conspicuous external difference is that of color and 
that is not very pronounced. The spots are more numerous and smaller, and the under side of 
the pectoral fin has a narrower margin of white, in oquassa. While as before stated the oquassa 
occasionally has as few as 9 rays in the anal, it more often has 10 or 11 and aureolus never has 
been found to have 11 and only rarely 10. Comparing two male specimens each of the two 
species, the oquassa apparently has a somewhat longer head and snout. More careful examina- 
tion of a larger number of specimens each might either reveal more differences or reduce the 
foregoing to naught. The young even in the fry stage are usually easily distinguished from the 
Common Trout by fewer parr marks. 
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