346 Rooscz'clt Wild Life Aiimils 



abundant and most generally distributed species of minnow in the shallow waters 

 of Oneida Lake, at least during the summer when most of our collections were 

 made. It is easily identified by its somewhat slender form, rather large scales, 

 prominent eyes, and absence of conspicuous markings, except a distinct black spot 

 at the base of the caudal fin. This feature is very well developed in Oneida Lake 

 examples. Most of the fish we took were from 2 to 3 inches long, but a few large 

 ones, 3j^ to 4J/ inches long, were caught, also. The species was described by 

 Governor DeWitt Clinton of New York, in 1824, as Clupca hudsonia (Jordan and 

 Evermann, '96, p. 269; Evermann, '01, p. 322), from a specimen taken in the 

 Hudson River. 



Breeding Habits and Life History. Young fish of this species appeared 

 abundantly in schools in July, 1916, in shallow water where there was considerable 

 water willow (Diatithera) and other aquatic vegetation (Nos. 529, 591, and 599). 

 It is likely that spawning occurs in sirring or early summer, judging from the 

 size of specimens taken at that time, \\right and Allen ('13, p. 5 ) give the Ijreed- 

 ing time for Ithaca, N. Y., as Ajjril 25 through May, and the breeding place as 

 gravelly rifiles. None of the many specimens we took in summer showed external 

 evidence of spawning, nor did the twentv-two that were dissected. It seems, there- 

 fore, that the species must breed in spring, a season during which we did very 

 little collecting. Hultbs ('24. p. 208) found newly hatched young of this species 

 in Douglas Lake, Michigan, from about June 10 to 20. He studied their growth 

 up to July 16 and found a rather uniform rate of about 7 mm a day for the young. 

 By July 16 these young of the year ranged in size from 15 mm to 37 mm. 



Habitat. Spot-tailed Minnows were most often found on sandy or rocky shal- 

 lows with scant vegetation (Nos. 447, 463, 483. 501, 502, 550, 599). The results 

 of our two summers' intensive collecting make it appear that these minnows go to 

 deep water in early autumn, since they were numerous in shallow water during 

 July and August, 1916. The Large fish appear to avoid thick grow^ths of water- 

 plants, while small ones may be numerous in such places (Nos. 98 and 529). 

 Extensive .shoals without plants seem little frecjuented, except when situated near 

 plant growths. The largest collection (No. 501) was made in the bay west of 

 Lewis Point, on July 5, 1916, when 381 individuals were taken in one haul with the 

 minnow seine. Another large collection (No. 447) of 47 fish, was made at East 

 Potter Bay on June 27. \<)U,. in the nidUth of .-i small creek, whwv lake conditions 

 prevailed, and where the lisli may have gone on accotnil of a storm that r.aged iirior 

 to our collecting there. Ordinarily they were not found in streams. None were 

 foinid in the streams at Constantia, and but a very few (No. 553) at West Vienna 

 and Douglas Creek (No. 416). The species appears distinctly to be one of large 

 rivers and lakes (Forbes and Richardson, '09, p. 142; Forl)es, "83, p. 1J7 ; Meek 

 and Hildebrand, '10, p. 272; Bean. '92, p. 38). 



Pood. Forbes and Richardson ('09, p. 143) say: "It is a ty])ical minnow in 

 its food, depending on insects, crustaceans, and vegetation, the latter partly algae 

 of the filamentous forms and partly fragments of aquatic jilants. This general 

 statement does not indicate the variety of its resources or the srtMning indilTcrence 

 with which it will lill itself with one or the other kind of food which it finds most 

 abundant." Two. for examiile. had eaten chiellv algae; 3 had eaten only terres- 



