TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIA S. 
397 
The Californian Gulf produces also great numbers of edible 
shell-fish. The oyster, the pearl shell, an account of the 
fishery for which has been heretofore given ; the muscle, 
several species of haliotis, all afford either food or articles of 
trade and ornament to the inhabitants. In Upper California 
fish are generally little sought after, the productions of the 
earth being so numerous and plentiful; but in the colder 
regions of the north, they afford the common, and sometimes 
the sole subsistence of the natives. In the Columbia, as well 
as in the San Joaquim and Sacramento rivers, and in almost 
every water course having its outlet in the sea, the numbers of 
Salmo ( Schouleri ), Salmon, are almost incredible. On some of 
these rivers from two to three thousand are sometimes taken 
in a single day. The Indians capture them with a kind of 
wicker basket, similar to that used by the fishermen on the 
Atlantic coast for taking lobsters. This is done in the spring 
when the fish are on their passage up the stream. They are 
also taken with the spear, which consists of a sharp piece of 
bone fastened to the end of a shaft of wood twelve or fifteen 
feet in length, and which the Indians use with great dexterity, 
frequently securing salmon of from twenty to thirty pounds in 
weight. The fish are dried or salted, and preserved for future 
use. They are also sometimes taken with only a small scoop 
net fastened to the^nd of a pole. Douglas speaks of an indi¬ 
vidual measured by him which was three feet five inches long, 
and ten inches broad, weighing thirty-five pounds. The author 
can vouch for the fact that this size is not exaggerated, hav¬ 
ing often seen specimens nearly or quite as large. Some of 
the streams also abound with very fine salmon trout, and with 
a small trout nearly resembling the one which affords so much 
sport to the anglers of the United States. 
Accipenser transmontanus, The Sturgeon, sometimes attains 
great size in the large rivers, being from eight to ten feet in 
length, and weighing nearly 500 pounds. In general, how¬ 
ever, this fish is of much smaller dimensions. It is principally 
found not far from the mouths of the rivers. 
