LAKE TROUT. 
13 
Hamlin ^ called attention to a “singular hiatus” in the distribution of this salmon that he 
said he was unable satisfactorily to explain. That was, why certain lakes connected with each 
other do not contain the fish. For instance, Phillips Lake in Hancock County contains the 
togue, while Green Lake, of equal depth, and connected with Phillips, but of lower altitude, does 
not. The little lakes tributary to Sebec Lake contain togue of great size but Sebec Lake, 
of greater size and greater depth of water, does not contain them. It would seem from this 
fact that the fish requires a certain altitude for its existence, but Phillips Lake is probably of less 
height above sea level than Sebec. The togue is indigenous to Moosehead Lake and a few 
smaller lakes in the Kennebec basin. It occurs in most of the larger lakes of the Penobscot, 
St. John’s, and St. Croix systems, but in many smaller bodies of water connected with them it is 
absent. Kendall ^ records Hurd Pond, of the west branch, and Matagamon and Webster Lakes, 
of the east branch of the Penobscot; Telos, Chamberlain, Eagle, and Churchill Lakes of the 
Allagash branch of the St. John’s; Beau and Glasier Lakes of the St. Francis, and Eagle Lakes 
of the Fish River, branches of the St. John’s in Aroostook County. He also collected or ob- 
served it in Debsconeag Lake, of the west branch of the Penobscot, Grand Lakes, of both the 
east and west brapches of the St. Croix. To all of these it was probably indigenous. It has, 
as previously stated, been spread by fish cultural distribution and later records may be results 
of such dissemination. The higher altitude theory of Dr. Hamlin will not account for the pecu- 
liarities, for it is found in Thompson Pond in western Maine at a considerably lower altitude 
than the Rangeley Lakes in the same river basin where it does not occur. It may be one of 
those disappearing forms of once more general distribution lingering only in waters where the 
conditions continued more favorable than in the others. In those waters, therefore, in which 
more nearly pristine conditions obtain, the fish retains the form and good physical condition 
of the typical Lake Trout. In others of less favorable conditions, the fish is perhaps deterio- 
rating and producing the lean, black, parasitized, ill flavored forms. At any rate. New England 
contains only the southern fringe of its geographical range, and, with a few exceptions, the 
localities of its occurrence in New England suggest a St. Lawrence origin. 
Habitat. 
The Lake Trout is essentially an inhabitant of the deep and cool, and usually of the larger, 
lakes wherever it occurs. In those waters, it frequents the deep water, especially in the summer 
time, approaching the shore and shoals at times for food and in the fall for spawning. This 
pertains particularly to the southern portion of its range. Preble^ says: “Being partial to 
‘ Maine Sportsman, see synonymy. 
“ See synonymy. 
® E. A. Preble: A biological investigation of the Athabaska-Mackenzie region. North Amer. Fauna, no. 27, p. 510, 
1908. 
