The morning call., 1891-12-08
TROUT AND SALMON.
Professor Jordan Explains Their
Differences.
No Salmon on the Pacific Coast-Reinbow
Trout and "steelhead" the same-The
Length of salmon's Run.

The California Academy of Sciences was
addressed last evening by Professor David
5. Jordan, President of Leland Stanford Jr.
University. on the trout and salmon of the
Pacific Coast
lie first called the attention of the audi
ence to the fact that tie ancient Greeks and
Latins knew nothing of these two fishes. and
that the earliest mention OF the trout was 10
be found in poem written in the middle ages
upon the River Moselle. Following the his
tory OF these two fishes he gave the deriva-
ton of the naDes applied to them, showing
that for long time they were thought to be
one and the same fish in genus, but of differ
ent varieties
In speaking of the trout lie said: 1.-THE
salmon, salmon trout and forelle are all
three spotted with black the CHAIR, the fin
est in every way, lives in the coolest noun
tain lakes, and the Thymallus, so named
from its Od0r of thyme, better known as
the grayling, is found in the big northern
lakes.
There are usually no trout east of the
Mississippi River. or salmon front either.
CHAIR IS abundant. even more so than in
Europe. 1t is called trout but it has red
spots, has smaller scales and in many other
details differs from the European trout. 1t
IS called the brook or speckled trout
SALMON TROUT.
big trout, when found near the sea, were
called salmon trout, but incorrectly so, rs
there is no such thing on the Atlantic coast.
california has genuine trout, although
not such as are found in Europe. Here is
Showing small trout to the audienee] a
fish called the Rocky Mountain trout, or the
cut-throat trout; so named from red
splOtch under its throat which gives 1t the
appearance OF having had its throat cut.
think that name is the most proper, as it is
distinctive.
ut is found in all the Western streams
from Chihuahua up to Alaska, ana even
over to kamchatka. Its scales are smaller
and its mouth larger than the European
trout, but | believe it to be the parent OF all
the varieties found. The difference, whar-
ever it is found. will be discovered to be
due to eXtraneous causes, and almost all the
varieties are alike in their general forma-
ton"
The professor then called attention to the
rainbow trout, so named by Mr.. Gibbons Of
Alameda, and gave general description of
its noticeable points, after which he de-
scribed FISH called the 'steelhead." so
called by the salmon Gamers on account of
the hardness of its bones, AID stated that he
believed it and the rainbow were one and
the same, the steelhead found in the Column
bia River being changed by having lived in
the sea.
RUNNING OUT TO SEA.
In concluding his remarks upon trout. he
said that ali trout would run out to sea il
they could easily do so, and that when they
did they appeared to change in many WAYS,
the principal of which was their increased
size.
''When scientists went to look for salmon
on the Pacific Coast they found none, but
found something lar finer. In Europe SAL
mon and trout differ only in the upper rows
OF teeth, the salmon shedding his as he.
grows older, while the trout always retains
them.
con the Pacific Coast however, there is
always one certain and easily noticed mark
OF difference between the two. In the trout
the last lower fn has generally not over
nine rays, sometimes ten but in the salmon
the rays range from thirteen to sixteen In
fact, the salmon in every way is built upon
more generous plan.
Writers on the Pacific Coast salmon have
called attention to thirty-fiye different W.T.
rieties, but later investigation has shown
that they were all mixed up, and even the
Southern Pacinc reports are, SO to speak,
entirely at sea. SJeller found in his re-
searches tive, which l believe is about cor
rect, and gave them names prefxed to
salmon, which are generally used now
among scientists. They are the king dog,
silver, blue-back and humpback salmon.
OF these the king salmon or quinnat, as the
Indians have named it, is the best fish all
around, ana Is the one most used in the
canneres."
CAUSE OF RUNS.
Professor Jordan gave a very detailed de-
scription of the cause of the salmon runs.
and described the various changes to be
seen in the fish when they commenced to
run early In the spring until November, the
time of spawning, showing the fish at the
start, perfect IN form, and the gradual
change in his form, due to his or her not
eating, tumbling over rocks in their climb
ing until at the spawning time it was seen a
scraggy, Shiny, 1misshapen mass not fit for
anything at all, and dying ere it could get
back to the sea. Incidentally he stated that
they had been known TO run up rivers until
they were found In the streams in the Idaho
mountains.
He then explained that those which did
not run so early were the fish desired by
the cannerles, as they were still plump, fat
and iull. of oil. In conclusion be explained
briefly the difference between the king SAL
mon and the other varieties