New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-28
TIE TROUT ~ SUNAPEE LAKE..
PROFESSOR oUACKENBos ADDS SOME INTEREST
ING DETAILS IN REGARD TO THE


sunape Lake, ~ H.. April 26.-There has been
much animated discussion In various journals OF late
to the origin of the trout Of SuDapee LAKE.. Pro
lessor J. ID. Quackcnbos, OF Columbia College, who
has summer house at this place, aud who Colonel
j.. H. Hodge, Of the New Hampshire Fish Commits
SON. says. j, the best qualified fisherman the lake
that he knows OF, TO express opinion, sad 70 a
Tribune correspondent the other day:
The Interesting Of natural hybrldsm in fishes
brought to the notice Of ichtayologistS by CORE
spondent l. r. p, of Summit, New-Jers y, Is val
liable and timely. 1t does not, however, explain the
origin Of the Salvelinus Sunapec. Tho between
the brook trout (Salvellnus fontnals) and the lake
trout (Salvclinus nanaycushl has long been known,
the most successful experiments In this line of hybrid
ism having been made at Lake Meacham, Franklin
County, New-York, by +. r. Fuller, who sought to
obtain, by crossing these two species increased size
without sacrifice Of table qualities. There being
lake trout in Sunapee. must look for differ
ent cross, If tho genesis Of the samonoid IS to
tie sought in hybridisIn. Tho possible
follows:
a. brook trout with land-lochel salmon. The
latter FISH was first introduced into sunapec Lake,
according 10 the report Of the New Hampshire Fish
Commission, in 1867. As 1t attaIns weight Of
five to six pounds In three years, there must have
ben I'm the lake, in 1870. salmon mature enough for
procreauon. Darwin has shown how susceptible Is
the reproductive system in animals TO the slightest
changes In environments change OF habitat may there
fore have far modified the instinct Of the females
as TO develop in them ama'ory passion for males
Of the Salvelinus type. Conjunction on the spawning
beds may thus have taken place, resulting In the
production Of fertile hybrid-which was first no
ticcd by anglers In ISL Natural hybrds among
the SalmOnidao have been known in Bilian for 100
years: and have also been observed IN our western
rivers The female salmon has been seen to pair
with the male trout. At tho HOMETOWN Fishery
hybrid, Of trout and salmon have proved fertile Tor
three or four generations, as far as the expert
ncnts have gone up To the present time. Therefore
the cross suggested above * neither without precc-
dent nor contrary nature moreover, suhclent Nihe
has ELAPSED for the establishment of an independent
and permanently fertile species in SunaIec Lax"
. The other possible cross Is that OF brook trout
with vhi,rnsh The trout has been cr"s'cd sue
cess fully with the graync. nearer relative ol inc
lake wlitrf,h Whcish were planted In Sunal"e
axe IN 40, and IN subsequent years. IilchSh
and ilout spawn At III" sam" Hrd>OH anu "h H'
same kiId Of erOui- WhHeiish ami trout are nearly
related Roth being representative OF thc saline elch'
family of n.h.~-ihc NalmOnidae Why may my
moi have accidentally crJ~scdi The hyDrds h''Wr'h
tr,,t and crawling are characterized by satN hue
and rrOw rapidly. The SalvchnuS Snnalhe Is a
and small mouth rapidly attans size and weight and
IL. season Of spawning CORES ponds exactly with that
of the Whitcnsh. " ., ~,
II m, sunarre trout should he found in other
Nov England lakes the theory that II represents the
ancestral tvpr NAV be trnablr: Int II VIII silIl De
iirc,l, IN Spaiu It, undclcc'ch presence In Sunap"e
I ak, for The last hundred years. us prarucal tx
rr. nation through successive centuries ty The
,.rislic ravagcS Of yellow perch on lis SJawn'nehclN
Is a theory too absurd to be seriously entertain d.