I'hc I'rodnclh'lly of I'isli Food in Oneida Lake J 13 

 Table No. 56. Comparison ok I'^jod wnii Ifocks 



While this data is not conclusive, it adds weight to the belief 

 that digestion is measurably rapid in fresh-water fish, at least 

 in summer, and that it is possible that the stomach may be 

 emptied in 24 hours and the intestine in about 48 hours. Feed- 

 ing experiments on a large scale would be of great intei"est 

 and value in this connection. 



As stated previously, little direct data are at hand to indicate 

 the amount of food eaten by the fish of our inland waters, and 

 none has been seen by the writer bearing on the amount eaten 

 in a definite time. In a previous bulletin (Baker, '16, pp. 165- 

 204) some facts are given as to the number of individual 

 animals found in the stomach at one time, which may bear on 

 this subject, though it is very imperfect and very unsa:isfac- 

 tory. It may be assumed that the full stomachs and gut of 

 these fish represent the maximum amount of food taken in a 

 certain period of time, in this case arbitrarily placed at 24 

 hours. As the amount of food present varied in the specimens 

 examined, the general average may be the true condition. 

 Fish for food studies should be freshly caught to obtain the 

 best restilts, and individuals caught in fyke nets long left in 

 water are usually not reliable for certain studies because 

 digestion has made progress to such an extent that much of 

 the food is unrecognizable or the digestive canal may be 

 entirely empty. The data from these individuals with fairly 

 well filled digestive tracts is presented below. 



