FISHES OF NEW YORK 485 



■Carolina. In western rivers, however, it is seldom found south 

 of the latitude of Chicago. In New York the sunfish abounds 

 almost everywhere, in the lowlands as well as the highlands 

 and in brackish as well as fresh waters; it has even been taken 

 occasionally in salt water on Long Island. Large individuals 

 have been received from Canandaigua lake and from lakes in 

 the Adirondacks. Dr Meek found it very common throughout 

 the Cayuga lake basin. The collectors of the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion obtained it in almost all the waters visited by them (21 

 localities) in the Lake Ontario region. Eugene Smith reports it 

 from most of the moraine ponds of Long Island and Staten 

 Island, and in quarry ponds of the Palisades, wherein it is fre- 

 quently placed by boys. Ponds and lakes in the parks of New 

 York city are well stocked with this species. Mearns reported 

 it as abundant in the Hudson and in all the ponds and slow 

 streams of the Hudson Highlands. Mather recorded it as a 

 common fish in most of the Adirondack waters, the exceptions 

 being Piseco lake, G lake, Coald lake, Sents' lake, T lake, Willis 

 pond, Murphy, Warner and Bug lakes. 



The common sunfish grows to a length of 8 inches and a 

 weight of about ^ pound. Its food is similar to that of the 

 1ong-eared sunfish; and it is one of the readiest biters known 

 to the angler. The habits of this fish have been described by 

 Dr Theodore Gill and W. P. Seal. The latter states that the 

 male in the breeding season is readily identified by his brighter 

 coloration, conspicuous ear flaps and a luminous border around 

 the fins while in the water. The nest is a depression in the mud, 

 sand or gravel, hollowed out by means of the fins. In the 

 Potomac he found a number of nests which were located from 

 a few inches to several feet apart. The male watches the nest 

 and drives away all intrudjers. The eggs are only about sV 

 of an inch in diameter and not very numerous. They are 

 attached to stones and aquatic plants. Mr Seal has reason to 

 believe that the male alone is concerned in building the nest 

 and in the care of the eggs and young. 



The species is usually hardy in captivity, but is subject to 

 fungus attacks which yield readily to treatment with brackish 



