The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-07-02
SALMON MYSTERY
STILL UNS0LVEC
Efforts Being Made to Trace
Their Wanderings.
QUEER TRAITS LITTLE KNOWN

| ndlcHeQ IN 0dudQlan WATERS, dCcOTuluE
to dispatches from Ottawa, in an
effort to trace their wanderings and
to fathom some of the unsolved mys
teries in the lives of these important
| fishes.
Some of the queer traits of salmon,
| known to few of the million who eat
| these fish from tin cans, are told of
in bulletin from the Washington, D.
| c., headquarters of the National
| Geographic society. The bulletin
| quotes Robert f. Griggs. who in his
book, 1.-The Valley of Ten Thousand
| Smokes" tells of finding a run of
| salmon in a partially ashchoked stream
| In the heart of a region devastated by
the great eruption of Katmai volcano
in Alaska. The observations were
part of comprehensive scientific
study of the region made directed by
the National Geographic society.
Everywhere we kept sharp look
out for salmon" says Doctor Griggs,
''but found none until 1917, when we
discovered one little brook in which
red salmon were running in considera-
/ BILE numbers. This stream did not APP
pear different in any way from a
score of others which coursed down
the mountain side to join Katmaf
river. But although we could find
no fish in any of the other streams,
we caught them here almost every
time we came by, tsking altogether
about fifty In the course Of a month.
Huge Fish in Tiny Streams.
Readers unfamiliar with the spawn
ing habits Of the salmon may be
q
long could be found in a stream only
a few inches deep; but the initiated
will recognize that there is nothing
unusual in such an occurrence. 1t is
well known that some species of
salmon work their way up into brooks
SO shallow that their backs stick out
before they deposit their eggs"
Commenting on the remarkable
"homing instinct of salmon, especial
ly the sockeye, Doctor Griggs wrote:
''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 of the wa
ter and ascend the falls. Here we
stood for hours. held by the fascina-
ton of one of the most wonderful
sights afforded by the animal kingdom,
as the endless procession Of fish kept |
leaping high in the air over the falls. |
"Never did a second lapse between
jumps. Sometimes as many as six |
fish were in the air at once. The |
jump appeared to require their full |
powers; none made the attempt except |
at the lowest notch in the falls, and |
none jumped clear over in a way to
suggest that they could have gone
much higher If 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 reconnaissances-eff efforts
TO learn the best place for the ascent.
Often the fish struck themselves on
the sharp rocks. Among those below
the falls were many terribly lacerated
~ such accidents-so far gone that
here was little probability of their
ever succeeding in the leap
Perhaps the most interesting fea-
ure of the whole performance is the
instinct that urges the salmon over
he falls. How can they tell that
here is another lake above? Yet by
some means they are unerringly guided
o the outlets of lakes above, for they
10 not run to other streams. Why
hould they seek the upper lake, when
he waters they have just passed
through would serve as well, as is at I
ested by the fact that they are per- I
ectly satisfactory to other thousands
f their brethen?
Return to Spot Where Hatched.
Professor G. H. Gilbert of Stanford
University, who knows the habits of
he salmon better than anyone else, )
ellis me there is good evidence that \
ne individual salmon returns to the .
water in which it was
atched. AS indicated by the anomal- Il
ps run observed in tributary of y
atnai river they are apparently able .
find, hot merely the same general a
cality, but by some instinct are q
lided back to the particular spot
here they began life. The mysterious q
nse by which they choose their way 3
nong waters apparently indistinguish- u
lie is quite incomprehensible to u.s. q
IF. like the bird migratIons, 1t were =
journey undertaken every year dur .
& the life of the fish. 1t would not be =
remarkable. for the old fish could 4
ach the young the path. But the Y
lmon make the trip only once, at the .
d OF their allotted span. When they :
we spawned they turn over and die, =
aving windows of rotting carcasses 3
the shore.
Their only previous experience with q
e stream was when as small fry =
ey passed down from the spawning 4
ound and out to sea. Can it be that =
ey retain something analogous to .
emory of the landmarks passed
fhe1r ore previous 1nurney! And. ~
ally. why such franfic effort when 4