10 FISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 



terniined whether a reputed scarcity of game fishes was real or only 

 apparent. If real, it is imi^ossible to say just what conditions are 

 responsible for it. 



There is plenty of deep cool water, and in the small fishes an 

 abundant food supj^ly. During the stay here, however, there was a 

 remarkable scarcity of insects, which might be due to either of two 

 causes, the cold season, which perhaps is not always present, or the 

 fresh westerly winds that blew nearly every day almost with 

 the regularity of trade wdnds. Calms were very infrequent. Nearly 

 every evening after sunset in pleasant weather there was a light 

 easterly breeze, which continued until morning. Even if the morning 

 was calm, before noon the cool westerly wind w^ould spring up. 



Mud Pond and Brook. — Mud Pond is hardly worthy of notice ex- 

 cept that it is the source of Mud Pond Brook, and that, notwithstand- 

 ing its i^eculiarly unfavorable character, it contains trout. 



The pond is not over 5 or 6 acres in extent and is surrounded by 

 boggy shores in which cranberries, callas, potentilla, pitcherplant, and 

 sweet gale and other shrubs grow. The bottom of the pond consists 

 of oozelike mud, the depth of which could not be found with a 4-foot 

 oar. The water at the time of our visit, July 21, was not much over 

 1 foot deep. The yellow water lily abounds and there is some pond 

 weed. In places the stout roots of the pond lily were exposed in 

 masses almost sufficient to bear one's weight. It is said that trout 

 are caught in this pond in the spring. We caught mud chub and 

 chub-minnows. In a small spring brook there were many trout from 

 3 to 7 or 8 inches long. They were very shy, and after a few had 

 been caught no more would bite. The temj^erature in this brook, 

 which had its source in a nearby springy or boggy place, was 52° F. ; 

 at its mouth it was 54° F. ; in the pond it was 72° F. 



The outlet near the pond was shalloAv, and even dry in places, or 

 the water ran underground. It was so overgrown with bushes that it 

 could not be explored far from the pond. Where the main road 

 crosses it, about half a mile from First Lake, it is a narrow brook 

 but 2 or 3 feet wide, with here and there comparatively deep pools. 

 In the brook are many small trout {Sahxdinus fontmcdis) up to 8 or 9 

 inches long, and brown trout {Salmo fario) up to 9 inches long. The 

 latter are chiefly in the lower half mile of the brook. 



Most of the chub-minnows, suckers, and blobs caught in this brook 

 were found near First Lake. 



Round Pond. — It is probably 3 or 4 miles by the connecting brook 

 from Round Pond to First Lake. The pond has an area of about 20 

 acres, being about one-fifth of a mile in diameter and approximately 

 round, or about as round as " round ponds " usually are. It is nearly 

 surrounded by hills, high enough, perhaps, to be designated by the 

 name of mountains. 



