6 HABITS OF THE BLACK CRAPPIE, 
Judged by its structure, the crappie is rather specialized. The 
body is strongly compressed, indicating adaptation to movement 
through the narrow spaces between aquatic plants; the large, strongly 
upturned mouth suggests habits of feeding toward the surface rather 
than toward the bottom; the gill rakers are remarkable among those 
of sunfishes for their length and fineness, hinting at proficiency in 
straining plankton from the water; the unusually large median fins 
are well adopted for sudden rushes or for sustained swimming. The 
beautifully mottled colors suggest a habitat in the changing shadows 
among water plants. 
Little has been published concerning the general habits of the 
black crappie. Forbes and Richardson (1908) believe that it shows 
a slight preference for hard bottoms when compared with its close 
relative, the white crappie, Pomoxis annularis. They state that 
“its hardy endurance of both heat and cold, and also of foul water, 
is especially favorable to its transportation and acclimatization.” It 
is said by various writers to be carnivorous, subsisting largely on in- 
sects, crustaceans, and fish. Richardson (1913) has published some 
notes on its breeding habits. 
The studies described in this paper deal mostly with crappies in 
Lake Wingra, but at intervals those from neighboring lakes were in- 
vestigated. As far as possible, observations were made each week 
from February, 1916, to January, 1917. Lake Wingra is an admi- 
rable habitat for crappies, and they are among its dominant species. 
The lake’s characteristics are as follows: Length, 1.6 miles; breadth, 
0.8 mile; shore line, 4.5 miles; area, 0.79 square mile; maximum depth, 
14 feet; mean depth, 5.5 feet. 
In the preparation of this paper Miss Henrietta Achtenberg has 
helped materially by computing all the averages. Thanks are also 
due to Chancey Juday, who read the manuscript. 
II. FOOD. 
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DETERMINATIONS. 
Forbes and Richardson (1908) state that the crappies are strictly 
carnivorous and that the dietaries of the two species in the United 
States are much alike. They believe, however, that Pomowxis spa- 
roides depends more upon plankton than P. annularis. The observa- 
tions made during the present investigations agree with their state- 
ments concerning the former. The food of the 140 black crappies 
from Lake Wingra (Table 1), during the nine months when ob- 
servations were made, consisted of: 
Per cent. Per cent. 
Cladocerans + 2-222 kel ae bee 33. 0) |\;Adulti Hemiptera: ..-22 === 0.5 
Chinonomidylaryie =) 22 14. 5? Pleats oe a ee ee .4 
ADH POONS fa ee eee 1059), Gaddis-ty Tanya 22 == es .4 
Chironomid pupe 222 2 9107 |*Grasshoppers=22< == 22 Se eS <2 
ISH? 99 _. os se eee eri eee 8:83) Beetles Hess ete a Se i2 
Ephemerid nymphs-__----------_- 6 | Calecium-carbonate crystals____-_~ wt 
(WOPepOG Seen. Ss ee as eee Hy QuisOsttacous==28—— ss oe. eee wil. 
Adult chironomids2—— 22> 2 3.9::| Alesana a er Ba 
@Odonatesnympns: == — os eee 2 oe) WMIOeMnIneG, AnmSCCLS —= === ae an 
Corethvametvwe. ee ae 2.1 | Traces of moths, mites, snails, and 
Hemipteraynymphs=2=2—=—-= === 6 leeches. 
Siltsandsdeprisee==-— 2 6 
