Ecological and Experimental Study of Sarcophagidce 47 



This gives an average of 103.3 grams. The result on the 

 whole was disappointing, fewer fish having been cast up than 

 during similar surfs. 



A second weighing trip over the same ground was made about 

 two weeks later, conditions being similar. The results of this trip 

 are as follows: 



Perch and small-mouth bass 441 



Saugers 18 



Minnows 50 



Bass 12 



Cat 10 



Miscellaneous 7 



Total 538 



Total weight, 20.38 kilograms. 



The average 37.9 grams is low, but this is due to the fact 

 that practically all of the perch and small-mouth bass were 

 young, ranging in w^eight from 14 to 42 grams. The lake storms 

 appear at quite regular intervals during the summer, which allows 

 a period between each high surf for a complete cleaning up by 

 the scavenger insects. For this reason it is possible to get only 

 those fish on record which are newly washed up. 



It would make an interesting and no doubt profitable investi- 

 gation to ascertain the cause of death to the large number of young 

 perch and bass which are cast up at times during the high surfs. 



With a beach so well scattered with dead fish as to show 538 to 

 a mile, and every reason to believe that this was not an exceptional 

 stretch of beach on this particular morning, one has some con- 

 ception of the work to be done by Nature's scavengers. A walk 

 along this same mile of beach about three days after a storm can 

 but impress one with the eflPective w^ork of the scavenger insects. 

 An examination will show that the many fish carcasses have been 

 reduced to mere shells, which are comparatively odorless. 



Below is a list of the scavengers m^ost active in the removal of 

 organic beach debris. This list is not intended to be a complete 

 one, there are other species of both Diptera and Coleoptera and 

 also other insects active in the work though in a very small degree. 



