Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/196

190 190 DR. JOHN SCOULER. On this excursion we killed 35 large ones. Since we vis- ited Observatory Inlet I have been in the habit of paying close attention to the salmon it produces. In their young state no difference is to be observed between the males & females in their external organization. As the season of spawning approaches, a striking change takes place in the male so that a stranger would be apt to suppose the two sexes belonged to different species. The body of the female is round ; the back is of a deap green colour, in- terspersed with purple spots ; sides have large green spots, belly white. The snout is round and obtuse ; teeth short ; lower jaw nearly as long as upper. At the spawning pe- riod, the appearance of the male is very different. The body increases in size, & is very much compressed, & a large haunch is developed on his back, which consists entirely of adipose substance. The snout becomes very much elongated ; but the inferior is about -J- inch longer than the upper. Both jaws are furnished with strong, hooked, recurved teeth. The colours of the male is much paler than those of the female. On our journey I obtained a few plants, as sanguisorba, Empetrum nigrum, Stellaria, Orchis scirpus sylvestris, & Adiantum pedatum. Most of these plants were obtained in a damp sp[h]agnous place, which abounded in a species of Salamandra. ft^ih. On account of the incessant rain I did not ven- ture ashore during the forenoon ; in the afternoon as there was no prospect of better weather I ventured to make a short excursion, & was so fortunate as to obtain a few Musci & Jungermannise. 25th. This morning with a favourable though unex- pected breeze we left our anchorage, & although in a few hours the wind resumed its old direction," before evening we had lost sight of Observatory Inlet.