12 HABITS OF THE BLACK CRAPPIE. 
lake. Although careful observation was made with a water glass, no 
eggs could be seen. These nests were bare places on the bottom, 
adjacent to aquatic vegetation (fig. 3), and about 65 centimeters 
(2 feet) below the surface. Four of the males were caught on hooks 
baited with minnows. None of them was shedding milt, though all 
were nearly ripe. On the same day crappies were seen standing over 
nests at three places along the shore of the lake. 
Nine males, but no females, were caught on that date. All were 
examined for food and were found to be well filled. The data for 
the nine individuals were as follows: Length, maximum, 225 muilli- 
meters; minimum, 158 millimeters; average, 193 millimeters. Food: 
Unidentified chironomid larve, 21 per cent; Zanypus carneus larve, 
1.6 per cent; Probezzia pallida larve, 0.9 per cent; ephemerid nymph, 
0.9 per cent; L'phemerella nymph, 0.5 per cent; Canis diminuta 
nymph, 1.7 per cent; Callibeetis nymph, 0.6 per cent; Coriza nymph, 
0.2 per cent; Zany- 



hue yl pus, sp. 4 pupe, 0.5 
O23 i ee ee per cent; unidenti- 
——— —— fied chironomid 
BE th ie vi ep pes es oe 
Sees — — cent; Chironomus 
sie, SihE Pichom decorus pupe, Ha 
oF rf Z yak Srayee per cent; mites, 0. 
4 ie ply 4, p per cent; Hyalella 
FFT TN OL © G p83 aeteca, 0.7 per cent; 
Ov. e, t 26g OZ ostracods, trace; 
WAS DE FP Eurycercus lamel- 
ie ee latus, 29.9 per cent; 
IGT, DM O Ceriodaphnia, 0.1 
SPT per cent; fine dé- 
pee) Ri bris, 6.6 per cent. 
Vpipgix Summarizing the 
9 foods, they are: In- 
sect larvee, 27.4 per 
Fic. 3.—Section of bank of lagoon showing position of male oy 
crappie observed on May 20, 1916. cent ; insect pupe, 
34.9 per cent; am- 
phipods, 0.1 per cent; entomostracans, 30.7 per cent; fine sediment, 
6.6 per cent. 
The abundance and variety of the food indicates that the males 
had fed actively among the shore vegetation, and this condition 
continued throughout the spawning season. In this respect crap- 
pies appear to differ from perch, which commonly neglect to feed 
during their active breeding period. 
On May 27, 6 males, but no females, were caught. All had ma- 
ture testes, but none was shedding milt. The gonads of the 2 
females and 4 males captured on June 3 were all mature, but 
not quite ripe. On June 10 the catch was as follows: 3 mature 
females, 3 ripe females shedding eggs, 3 mature males, 3 ripe males 
shedding sperm. On June 17, 1 mature male was captured; on June 
19, 4 mature males, 1 ripe male, 1 mature female, 1 ripe female, 1 
female partly spent; June 26, 2 mature males; June 27, 3 mature 
males, 3 ripe males, 3 ripe females; July 1, 1 ripe male, 1 ripe female; 
July 3, 2 immature males, 1 ripe male, 1 immature female, 1 ripe 
