234 
BULLETIN OE THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
It will be noticed, liowever, that these statements are made in regard to the early 
run of salmon. The later fish probably travel more rapidly, and tbe fall run, in the 
Sacramento at least, make very quick time from the mouth to the headwaters of the 
river. 
To what extent the salmon in the ocean are destroyed by larger predaceous fish 
is, of course, not known, but there is no doubt that great numbers are destroyed full 
grown at the mouth of the Sacramento by seals and sea lions. After the salmon 
ascend the rivers they are comparatively safe, except from otters aud ospreys and 
fisher cats, but the number that these destroy is very small compared with the whole. 
Strange to say, the quinuat salmon is spawning somewhere on the Pacific Coast 
waters of the United States seven mouths in the year. In January they are spawn- 
ing in Eel Eiver; in July the summer run are spawning at the heatlwaters of the 
McCloud and Little Sacramento; in August and September farther down these rivers; 
in October the fall run has begun at the McCloud aud below, and this run continues 
spawning through November and into December. 
In the Columbia and its lieadwaters there is, so far as I can learn, only one 
spawning season, beginning at the headwaters xmssibly as early as July. At Clacka- 
mas station, 125 miles from the mouth of the Columbia, they begin to spawn about 
the middle of September and continue until November. 
When the salmon are xn-ime (just from the ocean), both sexes look very much 
alike — in fact, they are almost identical in their aiixiearance; but as the spawning 
season apiiroaches, aud they gather on the spawning-grounds, the difference in the 
looks of the males and females becomes more aud more marked, and during the 
sxiawniug season the difference is very consiiicnous. 
The now fully develoxied ova of the female gives her sex a peculiarly rounded and 
Xdumxi ax»ioearauce, but the shaxie aud expression of her head does not change much. 
On the other hand, the male grows very deex> and thin. His head flattens, his uxiper 
jaw curves like a hook over the lower, his eyes assume a xiecidiai’ly sunken aud mali- 
cious expression. Large, xiowerful white teeth, like dogs’ teeth, apx)ear on both jaws, 
and the whole creature acquires an ugly and ferocious axqiearance. 
A few days before they are ready to sxiawn they hollow out cavities with their 
heads and tails in the gravel beds of the river where there is a vigorous current, and 
here in due time the eggs and milt of the xiarent fish are dexrosited. They cover the 
eggs to a certain extent after they are deposited, but not so much as eastern salmon 
{8. saiar) do. After sxiawuing, they gradually drop down the river with the current. 
The quinuat salmon is not so xiroliflc as the Atlantic salmon, 300 or 400 eggs to 
each xiouud weight of the x>arent fish being about a fair average. An early report of 
the writer placed the average much higher, but there must have been some mistake 
about it, for subsequent observations have not confirmed the statement. At Baird 
station the summer ritn of salmon usually begins to sx>awn about the 20th of August 
and continues until the last week in September. The fall run begins to sx)awn about 
the 25th of October and continues xn'obably till Christmas or later, the high water at 
that season rendering it impracticable to ascertain just when the sxiawuing of the fish 
ceases. 
The eggs are about five-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, and of a deexi salmon- 
red color, with a sxiecific gravity sufficiently greater than that of water to cause them 
to sink at once to the bottom when xdaced in water. 
