Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-06-13
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
MYSTERIES ABOUT sALMo

90 ~ 0SNAA 49,
the dorsal fins of numerous salmon
in Canadian waters, according to dis
patches from Ottawa, in an effort to
trace their wanderings INC to faith
ON. some of the unsolved mysteries
In the lives of these important fish
es.
Some of the queer traits of sal.
mon, known TO few of the million
who eat these fish from tin cans, are
told of in a bulletin from the Wash
ington, D.. c. headquarters of ths
! National Geographic Society. The
bulletin quotes Robert L. Griggs,
who in his book, THE Valley of Ten
Thousand Smokes" tells of finding
a run of salmon in a partially ash
| choked stream in the heart of 6
region devastated by the great erup-
tion of Katmai volcano in Alaska
The observations were part of a conn.,
prehensive scientific study of the
! region, made under the auspices OF
the National Geographic Society.
Everywhere we kept a SHARP
lookout for salmon" says DIR. Griggs
but found nome until 1917, when
| we discovered ono little brook ir
/ which red salmon were running in
considerable numbers. This stream
did not appear different in any way
from a score OF others which coursed
down the mountain side to joiE
! katmai river. But although we could
find no fish in any of the other
streams, we caught them here al
most every time we came by, taking
altogether about fifty in the course
of a month.
Huge Fish in Tiny Streams
READERS unfamiliar with the
spawning habits of the salmon may
be surprised to learn that fish two
feet long could be found in a stream
only a few inches deep; but the mi
tiated will recognize that there is
nothing unusual in such an occur
renee. 1t is we'll known that some
species of salmon work their way
up into brooks so shallow hat their
backs stick out before they deposit
their eggs"
AT Brooks Falls in the outlet
from the lake of the same name, at
the proper season one may watch
the salmon as they jump clear o.
the water and ascend the falls. Here
we stood for hours, held by the fas-
cination of one of the most wonder
full sights afforded by the animal
kingdom, as the endless procession
of fish kept leaping high in the air,
up and over the falls.
Reconnoiter Before Leaping Up Falls
Never did a second lapse be-
tween jumps. Sometimes as many
as six fish were in the air at once.
The jump appeared to require theii
full powers; none made the attempt
except at the lowest notch in the
falls, and none jumped clear over III
a way to suggest that they could
have gone much higher II necessary.
Many of the leaps were so wide OF
the mark as to give the impression
that they were not serious attempts
but rather in the nature of recon
naissances-efforts to learn the best
place for the j.. ascent. Often fish
struck themselves on the sharp
rocks. Among those below the falls
were many terribly lacerated by
such ~accidents-so far gone that
there was little probability of their
ever succeeding in the leap.
perhaps the most interesting
feature of the whole performance is
the instinct. that urges the salmon
over the falls. How can they tell
that there is another lake above q?
Yet by some means they are uner-
ringly guided to the outlets of lakes
above, for they do not run to other
streams. Why should they seek the
upper lake, when the waters they
have just passed through would
serve as well, as is attested by the
fact that they are perfectly satisfac-
story to other thousands of their
brethren?
professor C. II. Gilbert of STAN
ford University, who knows the hab-
its of the salmon better than any
one else, tells me there is good evi
dence that the individual salmon
returns to the particular water in
which it was Matched. AS indicated
by the anomalous run observed in 6
tributary of Katmai river they are
apparently able to find, not merely
the same general locality, but by
ONE instinct are guided back to the
particular spot where they began
life. The mysterious sense by which
they choose their way among wa
ters apparently indistinguishable it
quite incomprehensible to us.
IF, like the bird migrations, i
were a journey undertaken every
year during the life of the fish, it
would not be so remarkable, for the
old fish could teach the young the
path. But the salmon make the
trip only once, at the end of then
allotted span. When they have
spawned they turn over and die
leaving windows of rotting carcas-
ses on the shore.
Their only previous experience
with the stream was when as small
fry they passed down from The
spawning ground and out to sea.
Can it be that they retain something
analogous to memory of the land
marks passed on their n previ'
Gus journey? And, finally, why such
frantic effort when all is to end 30
soon? These questions W emay not
answer. All we a say is, that these
wonderful instincts, though leading
to the death OF the individual, are
clearly to the advantage of the spe-
cies, whose perpetuation is thereby
assured"