188 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
closely by the male. A him oh of a dozen in a pool just below the camp was watched from day to day 
and their movements were essentially the same as those j nst described. At first we thought that only 
the females pushed the gravel about, but we soon saw that the males quite often did the same. 
There is always a ]iairing oft’ of the sexes, and as there are nsnally several more males than 
females on any spawning-bed the supernumerary males are chased about and driven away by the paired 
ones. They never stay away, however, but promptly return, only to be chased away again. This is 
he[)t up all day, and in water usually only a few inches deep, often no deeper than the fish itself. 
The fins and even parts of the body are in this way, as well as when moving the gravel on the beds, 
brought in contact with the gravel and sand and become quite as much worn as those of the females. 
An examination of about 2 miles of the creek to-day showed that the fish are most abundant in 
the second mile above the lake. Throughout the lower mile the fish were not only less abundant, but 
not many of them were spawning; but in the upper portion of the stream they were much more 
abundant and nearly all spawning at this time. It was also noticed that a much larger proportion of 
those in the ujiper portion were mutilated and sore on the back or caudal peduncle. 
Anf/ust 30 : The upper portion of the inlet was examined again to-day and the fish were found 
even more abundant than yesterday. Practically all were upon the riffles and spawning; a few Avere 
seen in deep holes, but they all seemed to be fishes that were done spawning, as they showed mutila- 
tions quite plainly. Four Avhich I caught with my hands were badly worn. To-day a gill net (which 
I shall call Net B) was set in the inlet near our camp, half a mile above the lake. 
Auf/ust 31: This morning the net contained 20 small redfish ; of these, 10 were going up (7 males 
and 3 females) and 10 (7 males and 3 females) ap])arontly going down. These were all ripe, or nearly 
so, and all in excellent condition; no sores on any and the flesh quite firm in nearly all. In the lower 
portion of the stream to-day the fish are rather more numerous than yesterd.ay ; most of them keep 
quietly in the deeper holes and do not appear to be (juite ready to spawn. Net (J was set to-day a lew 
feet below Net B, and a third one (D) was placed in the mouth of the inlet only a few feet from the 
lake. These three nets we hoped would enable us to determine whether the fish are running up or 
doAvu, or both. 
September 1: Net B, 24 males and 6 females, of which 16 males and 2 females were going up, while 
the 12 remaining appeared to have been going down, but some of them may have turned in the net; of 
these 30 specimens, 6 Avere gilled during the afternoon of August 31 before we put in Net C ; of the 12 
males gilled from beloAA', 10 were almost ripe and 2 Avere juartly spent ; of the 12 apparently gilled from 
above, 2 females were ripe, 1 female not ripe, and 1 female spent; of the 8 males, 3 Avere ripe, 2 partly 
spent, and 1 entirely spent; this last was badly mutilated and covered with sores. Net C contained 
12 fish, all males, 10 eAudently going Tip and 2 apparently going down ; all of those going up were about 
ripe ; none had spaivned and none showed any mutilations. Net D at the outlet contained 5 males and 
1 female, all going up ; the males were all quite solid, but the female was ripe. Only one of the 42 fish 
taken in the nets to-day was noticeably sore, and one other ehoAved the A'entral fins A^ery slightly Avorn. 
Se 2 >temher 2: Net B contained 8 fish, viz, 4 ripe males going doAvu, 1 ripe male going up, 1 nearly 
spent, sore male going np, and 2 solid females going up. Net C contained 6 fish, A'iz, 3 ripe males and 
1 ripe female going up, and 1 ripe male and 1 partly sjient, sore male going doAAm. Net U contained 
12 fish, 7 males and 5 females, all going up, except 1 ripe male which Avas apparently going down, but it 
is likely that it, too, was really caught going up and turned in the net. Four of the males were rijie, 
while the remaining 8 fish Avere scarcely or not at all ripe. There Avere no sores or mutilations of any 
kind. 
September 3: Net B contained 6 fish, 4 of which were going up. Three of these were scarcely 
ripe males, the other an unripe female. The 2 going down, a male and a female, were both spent fish, 
both dead and merely lodged against the net. Net C had 9 fish, 8 CA'idently going up, and 1 turned so 
as to appear as if going doAvn. Seven of these were ripe m.ales, the other 2 scarcely ripe females. 
Net D contained 16 fish, all going up. Of these, 5 males and 2 females Avere solid, and 5 males and 4 
females were ripe. These 16 fish Avere all in jierfect condition, as Avere all those taken in nets B and 
C, except the 2 spent fish taken in B, AA'hich Avere both considerably mutilated. Net C Avas to-day taken 
up and reset in the outlet of Alturas Lake a feAV rods beloAV the lake. 
Mr. Edivard G. Burnet and party, of Corral, Idaho, who spent a feiv days camping at Alturas 
Lake, caught about 80 redfish, one of them a large female Avith nearly the Avhole tail worn off. Aliout 
a third of the catch Avere females. 
September 4: Net B contained 5 fish, 2 ripe males and 1 nearly dead male going up, and 1 nearly 
spent female and 1 dead female going down, the dead fish being merely lodged against the net. Net 
D had 12 fish, 6 males and 6 females, all going up. Only 3 of the males and 1 of the'females were rijie. 
All were in excellent condition and Avere salted doAAui by Mr. Burnet, to Avhom Ave garm them. 
Septembers: Net B had 17 fish, 9 going up and 8 doAvn. Of those going up, there were 3 ripe 
males, 1 scarcely ripe male, 1 partly spent and sore male, and 1 dead spent male; those going down 
were 1 dead sjient male, 4 nearly dead males, 1 dead spent female, and 2 spent males. Nearly all of 
these fish were more or less mutilated and coAmred Avith sores. Net D contained 6 fish, 2 nearly ripe 
males and 3 ripe females going up and 1 nearly dead spent male going down. 
September 6 : Net D contained 5 fish, 3 solid females and 2 ripe males, all going up and all in good 
condition. The record of tliis date for Net B Avas unfortun.ately lost. 
September 7 : Net B had 8 fish, all males; one riiie male going up and 7 spent males going down; 
5 of these were dead or nearly so and were simply lodged against the net; all of the 7 Avere covered 
with sores and had the fins badly frayed. Net D had 2 nearly dead males lodged against the uiiper 
side, both spent and sore, and 1 ripe male gilled from the lower side. 
