566 REPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



water accidentall3\ lu feeding- at the surface the fish swim about 

 with the anterior part of the head showing, the mouth partly above 

 water, partly l)elow. The mouth is continuouslj^ opening and closing, 

 and a sharp sucking or smacking sound is often produced, much as is 

 made bj^ a pig with his head down in the trough. 



Much of the carp's food is obtained by foraging along the stems of 

 water plants, and it also often eats quantities of the plants themselves. 

 Many of these stems are covered with a considerable growth of algffi, 

 brj'ozoa, etc., among which live a variety of minute, and even micro- 

 scopic, plant and animal forms. Such stems as float on the surface or 

 lie in a horizontal position in the water can be gone over very easily, 

 and sometimes this appears to be done in a more or less systematic 

 manner, the fish beginning at one end and working gradually along to 

 the other. In order to get at the vertical stems the fish often turn on 

 their sides, when the mouth can be closely applied to the rounded 

 surface. They were also often seen to take the end of a floating stem 

 or leaf, such as a cat-tail leaf, into the mouth and then pull and tug at 

 it vigorously. Even if the}^ did not get off pieces of the stem in this 

 way, they undoubtedly pulled off the algse and other substances 

 growing on its surface. In one case 1 noticed a fish swimming about 

 with a piece of partially decayed stem sticking from its mouth, but 

 whether it was finally swallowed I can not sa}^, as the fish swam away 

 out of sight with the stem still protruding. 



Few records of the food of the carp in this countrj^ made from 

 examination of the contents of the stomach and intestine seem to have 

 been previoush^ reported. H. Garman (1888) reported on one speci- 

 men from Broad Lake, 111., soon after the species began to be found 

 in the waters of that state. According to him the food "consisted of 

 vegetation and moUusks, the former constituting two-thirds of the 

 material in the alimentary canal, and consisting of dead leaves and 

 seeds. The seeds were, as far as could be determined in a hast}^ exami- 

 nation, chiefly those of trees and weeds. Elm seeds, ragweed seeds, 

 and the seeds of Polygommi were noted. The mollusca were partially 

 thin-shelled clams with an occasional Sphserium^ and partly snails, 

 such as Physa and Liofjlax. All the matter was apparently gathered 

 from the bottom. No trace of crustacean or insect food could be 

 detected." 



In August, 1900, Mr. M. C. Marsh collected carp stomachs near 

 Bellevue, on the Mississippi River, near Omaha, and from Maumee 

 Bay and River near Toledo, Ohio. Apparently no detailed study of 

 these collections has been made, but Smith (1902), in his report on 

 food fishes, gives a few general data. He states (p. 120) that the food 

 was found to be largely microscopic, and contained in what was appar- 

 ently' a mass of mud passed on into the intestine, where he thinks the 

 digestion probably takes place. Portions that were recognizable 



