LEPISOSTEUS GARPIKES 33 



the gar turns partly over on one side, emitting a large bubble of air, 

 after which it swallows and then sinks again below the surface. This 

 habit is discontinued in cold weather, however, and from October 

 to April gars do not come to the surface to breathe. 



The gar is a voracious feeder and is especially destructive to 

 minnows and the young of other fishes. The stomachs of speci- 

 mens examined by Dr. Dean contained practically nothing but 

 small soft-rayed fishes, less than 3^ inches long. Eleven small 

 minnows were taken from the stomach of one male 24 inches long, 

 and 16 from the stomach and pharynx of another 27 inches long. 

 No perch or sunfish were found. Sixteen minute minnows have 

 been taken by us from the stomach of a single specimen 2 inches 

 long, while other young specimens examined, had filled themselves 

 with water-fleas {Scapholeberis mucronata). The gar approaches 

 its prey stealthily, and its attack is instantaneous and usually suc- 

 cessful. Young gars have been observed to approach and seize 

 minnows sidewise afterwards struggling for some time to get them 

 into proper position for sw^allowing — as is the habit of lizards and 

 alligators. The abundance* and destructiveness of gars in par- 

 ticular localities have recently led to serious efi:orts at extermination, 

 and pound-nets have been found quite useful for this purpose, f 



The long-nosed gar spawns in this latitude between the middle 

 of May and the middle of June, the time at Havana, Illinois, being 

 ordinarily from June 1 to 1 2 . It is known to spawn in shoal water, 

 usually in grass and weeds, but Captain Schulte, of Havana, has 

 seen gars spawning about the stone piles of railroad bridges under 

 construction at Havana. Young gars were reared by Dr. Mark, who 

 found that they could be maintained entirely on the larv« of 

 mosquitoes. They are extremely interesting, and even beautiful, 

 little animals, each marked with a broad black lateral band; and 

 they are especially noticeable for the evanescent lance-shaped upper 

 lobe to the caudal fin. They may often be seen swimming singly 

 in shallow water along the margins of streams in June and July. 

 Their earliest food is apparently Entomostraca, but they begin at a 

 surprisingly early age their life work of keeping down the fish popu- 

 lation of the waters the}^ inhabit. A specimen only an inch and a 

 quarter long, examined by us, had taken a minute fish, and anothpr 



* It is stated by Dr. Dean that garpikes have been known to occur in such 

 numbers in South Carolina as to till the shad nets and interrupt the shad fishery 

 for many days. 



t By their use, Chautauqua Lake, X. Y., was practically freed from gars in 

 8ci6-"97. 



