The Food of Fishes. 65 



ent. These had eaten, respectively, thirty-nine per cent, 

 and twenty-eight percent, of small fishes, — partly Cyprin- 

 ida? and partly undetermined Acanthopteri. The remain- 

 der of their food was composed chielly uf Palingenia larva?. 

 One October specimen had eaten two larvae of the large "hel- 

 gramite," Conjdalis cornutus. Although these fishes were 

 taken directly from the seine, and opened upon the spot, 

 the food in their stomachs did not average more than a 

 fourth of the quantity in those taken in early spring. The 

 weather during both these months was uncomfortably cold, 

 with falling snow, and the food of these specimens prob- 

 ably gives a correct hint of the winter food of the species. 

 Fourteen of the above were Pomoxys nigromacnlatns 

 and twelve" P. annularis^ — one not having been deter- 

 mined. 



S u m m ary of the Fa m ily . 



For the purpose of a comparative recapitulation of the 

 above data respecting the food of the sunfishes, I have 

 prepared three condensed tables, showing, upon the same 

 page, the food of the different genera in parallel columns. 

 The first table exhibits the food of the youngest speci- 

 mens, the second, of those of intermediate size, and the 

 third, of those which may properly be regarded as mature. 



By an inspection of the first table, it will be seen that 

 the thirty specimens, one inch long and under, represent- 

 ing eight genera, which appear thereon, have eaten little 

 else than Entomostraca and larvae of Chironomus, — these 

 two elements amounting to ninety-three per cent, of the 

 food. The only exception to this rule (that of the rock 

 bass) is apparent rather than real. The large percentage 

 of Neuropterous larvae appearing under the name of that 

 species is a technical ratio, inserted only for the sake of 

 consistency, being based upon the fact that one of the 

 specimens examined contained no food except a few traces 

 of some indeterminable minute larva of that order. The 

 minor differences in the food of the generic groups are 

 doubtless due to differences of locality, and the like. That 

 Ostracoda, for example, were found only in the stomachs of 

 Centrarchus, is accounted for by the fact that the youngest 



