American Fisheries Society 155 



It is remarkable what a high temperature these stranded 

 fish can endure, and how tenacious of Hfe they are under 

 desperate conditions. I have seen, many times, a mass of 

 fish almost out of water in these holes, struggling for life 

 in the mud, and with the bottom of the pond baked hard to 

 within a few feet of the depression to which they had been 

 driven as the water dried down. The falling water is not 

 the only menace to the Hfe of these fish, however, for bird 

 and beast prey upon them in these shallow places, so easy 

 of access, fish, fry and spawn being all subject to their 

 depredations. Along the Illinois River the pelicans, because 

 of their number, are perhaps their worst bird enemies. If 

 the water does not dry out and leave the fish to die, their 

 destruction is assured as soon as the pelicans arrive on the 

 scene. I have seen a lake of perhaps a mile in extent com- 

 pletety cleaned of fish by a flock of pelicans. Marching 

 through the shallow water in as perfect alignment as a 

 body of soldiers, and beating the water with their wings, 

 these birds drive the fish before them until they have them 

 surrounded and quickly gobble them into their capacious 

 pouches. It has happened more than once that our crew 

 would visit a lake, perhaps make a trial haul and find it full 

 of fish ; then, after waiting a few days for the water to 

 decline until it was drawn away from the buck brush that 

 surrounded it, so that it could be worked, they would find, 

 on their return, that not a fish remained. The tracks on the 

 shores showed plainly what had become of them. 



The field of work is so large and the difficulties encoun- 

 tered are so many that only a small portion can be covered 

 with the means and appliances at our command. Many of 

 the places are so remote from the river and the transporta- 

 tion of the fish from them to the deep water is attended 

 with so much risk and expense, that up to the present time 

 but little success has been had in many of such places. 

 Then the muddy conditions of these ponds and their sur- 

 roundings not only doubles the work of seining, but also 

 adds to the mortality of the fish, for when thev are taken 



