POMOXIS — CRAPPIES 239 



freely, for example, upon the lower Illinoisan glaciation, is found in 

 the clean glacial lakes of the northeastern part of the state, and is 

 reported from every river basin of our entire area. 



From the Great Lakes, excepting Ontario, it ranges southward 

 through the Mississippi Valley to Alabama and Texas, and westward 

 to Kansas and Nebraska. It has reached the Potomac by way of 

 connecting canals, has entered the Erie canal in New York, and is 

 reported also from Pamlico and Great Pedee rivers, on the south 

 Atlantic coast. It is said by Jordan to be generally abundant in 

 ponds, lagoons, bayous, and all sluggish waters, and to be much 

 more common in the southern parts of its range. "In the lower 

 Mississippi Valley the young of this species literally swarm in the 

 overflow ponds and bayous, and vast numbers perish every year 

 w^hen these waters dry up." 



A fish of so wide a range has, of course, many local names. In 

 Illinois the name of crappie is commonly applied indiscriminately to 

 this fish and the one next described. When separately mentioned, 

 the present species is often called the pale crappie, or the w^hite crap- 

 pie, or the ringed crappie, the last by reason of the more conspicuous 

 vertical bars upon the sides. 



The maximum w^eight of the fish is about 2| pounds, but the aver- 

 age of the Illinois River market specimens weigh less than a pound. 



This crappie is strictly carnivorous, living mainly on insects, crus- 

 taceans, and fishes. Four fifths of the food of fifteen specimens ex- 

 amined by us consisted of various aquatic insect larvae, while fishes 

 made but 1 1 per cent, of the entire food. 



Observations made on market specimens at Havana indicate 

 that the species spaw^ns in May. 



This is an excellent fish with w^hich to stock artificial ponds. It 

 was introduced into the Potomac in 1894, and has now become 

 abundant there. It takes the hook well, and is held in high esteem 

 as a game fish in the Southern States and in some parts of Illinois. 

 Dr. Jordan says that it will take a minnow bait as promptly as will 

 a black bass, but that it is not very pugnacious, and, owing to its 

 tender mouth, requires considerable skill in handling the tackle. 

 The State and the United States Fish Commissions are doing much 

 to maintain the supply of this fish in this state by collecting the 

 young from overflow ponds along the Illinois and the Mississippi, 

 and transplanting them into other waters. 



The annual catch of crappie, including the next species with the 

 present, varies from 800,000 to 1,300,000 pounds for the Mississippi 

 Valley. The Illinois River alone furnished 294,000 pounds in 1899. 



