ZOOLOGY. 
309 
becomes the worse confounded,” and the naturalist is almost inclined to give up in despair the 
task of unravelling the tangled and confused relations of the species composing the group. 
To meet successfully these unfortunate obstacles to a clear exposition of the history of this 
branch of the animal kingdom, especially as it exists on our Pacific coast, will yet require years 
of patient labor and investigation. 
In preparing this report we have been guided to a great extent by the able work of Sir John 
Richardson, contained in the pages of his Fauna Boreale Americana , and by the notes of Dr. 
Gairdner published therein. For great assistance we are also indebted to the writings of Dr. 
Charles Girard and J. Carson Brevoort, esq., as well as for the friendly services of both 
gentlemen. Valuable manuscript notes have been furnished by Dr. James G. Cooper, George 
Gibbs, esq., and Dr. C. B. Kennerly. The three gentlemen last named have spent much time in 
the northwest, engaged for the most part in scientific researches. During my own residence in 
Oregon and Washington Territories I endeavored to obtain reliable information regarding this 
group of fishes; but as I was engaged in many other pursuits, the data collected were not 
nearly so complete as desired.* Since 1 returned to the Atlantic, Mr. Gibbs has very kindly 
furnished me additional notes of his own, besides valuable memoranda communicated to him by 
Mr. John Swan, of the Puyallup salmon fishery, (Puget Sound,) and by Angus McDonald, esq., 
the officer in charge of the honorable Hudson Bay Company’s trading post, Fort Colville. 
It would be highly desirable to trace out the connexions existing between the Salmonidae of 
our Pacific coast and those of Russian Asia and Japan. Descriptions of many of these are 
contained in Pallas’ Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica, some of which have been alluded to while 
treating on particular species in the earlier portion of this report. 
The anadromous salmon and trouts (those running up from the sea) are not found in Oregon 
or Washington Territories above the great falls of the Clark’s river, or on Snake river, (Lewis’s 
Fork of the Columbia,) above similar falls. The obstruction on Clark’s river is about 200 miles 
above its mouth; those of the Snake, some 275 miles above the Columbia. Concerning their 
ascent of the Snake, Mr. George Gibbs communicates the following: “In some of the branches 
of the Columbia salmon penetrate to the Rocky mountains, but they cannot ascend the Snake 
above Rock creek, between Fort Boise and Fort Hall, where the great Slioshonee falls stop 
them. Above this point there are fine trout. Fort Boise is a great fishing ground for the 
Bannacks and other bands of the Shoshonee or Snake tribe, who would be famished if kept away 
from that place during the fishing season. We found them taking salmon in vast numbers at 
the end of August, 1849.” 
In 1854 I visited Fort Boise myself, finding salmon exceedingly abundant in September and 
October. They were then spawning, and seemed almost to fill the water in places suitable for 
that purpose. The species, I presume, were principally the S. quinnat and S. gairdneri, but 
as to this I am uncertain, as at that time I had not commenced to pay especial attention to the 
subject. 
On the Columbia the best salmon are generally those which enter the river during the spring 
and early summer months. These are the “common silver salmon,” ( S . quinnat ,) square-tailed 
salmon, (‘IS. gairdneri,) and white salmon, (perhaps the S. tsuppitch,) besides several other 
species, such as the S. paucidens, &c., &c., which are simply considered by the unscientific as 
small individuals of the kinds named. The autumn and winter kinds are much inferior in flavor 
c Several valuable consignments of specimens of these fish, sent by me from Puget Sound and the Columbia river, were 
lost en route to Washington city. 
