460 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



In the crappie the depth of the body is two fifths of the total 

 length, not including the tail. The length of the head is one 

 third of the total. The mouth is oblique and larger than in the 

 calico bass. The eye is about equal to the snout and nearly one 

 fourth the length of the head. The upper jaw nearly one half 

 the length of head; the maxilla reaches slightly beyond the mid- 

 dle of the eye. The longest rays of the dorsal and anal are 

 about one half as long as the head. The pectoral is longer 

 than the ventral and reaches only to above the origin of the 

 anal. The ventral when laid back reaches to the vent. D. VI, 

 16; A. VI, 17. Scales 7-45-13. There is considerable variation 

 in the number of spines and rays in the dorsal and anal fins. 



Color clear silvery olive, the sides mottled with dark greenish 

 blotches. On the upper part of the body are traces of narrow 

 vertical bars. The dorsal and caudal are mottled, but the anal 

 is usually uniform pale. 



Among the many names which have been applied to the crap- 

 pie are: bachelor, newlight, campbellite, sac-a-lait, bridge perch, 

 strawberry perch, chinquapin perch, speckled perch, tin perch, 

 goggle-eye, John demon, shad, white croppie and timber croppie. 



In the lower Mississippi valley the crappie is one of the most 

 common fishes. It is abundant also in the Ohio valley and oc- 

 curs rarely in Lake Erie. The Ohio, Illinois and Mississippi 

 rivers are particularly noted for an abundance of crappies, and 

 the fish is very plentiful in Lake Pontchartrain, La., where it is 

 one of the most highly prized of the smaller game fishes. 



Dr Meek did not obtain the crappie in the Cayuga lake basin, 

 but says it may be found in the canal near Montezuma, where 

 the calico bass is said to be frequently taken. 



The crappie is a very general favorite for pond culture, can be 

 readily transported and under favorable conditions multiplies 

 prodigiously. Its range has been very much extended by arti- 

 ficial means. The best distinguishing marks between the crap- 

 pie and the calico bass are the more elongated form of the 

 crappie, the presence of six spines in the dorsal and the nearly 

 uniform whitish color of the anal. In the crappie the greatest 



