Oiifitla /.(/Ac I'islus .; ; i 



trial snout beetles; 2 had taken ndtliin^ but luitoniostraca {Cyfris} ; an<i 7 liail fed 

 largely on a variety nf vegetable matter. The nymphs of May-flies ( Mjjhemerida ) 

 made up more than three- fonrtiis of the food of three other specimens. Two had 

 eaten small fish. Keighard ('15. p. 22j ) observed immature tish in Douglas l.ake 

 feeding on a cladoceran, Cliydonis, the form which makes up the bulk of the food 

 of young [jerch and the asscx'iated suckers. He says: "The short, slender close-set 

 gill rakers with the narrow gill opening make an excellent aj)i)aratus for the capture 

 of these small Crustacea. The roof and sides of the mouth and the tongue have 

 many short papillae set in curved longitudinal rows, and these may serve to hold 

 the Crustacea while i)ermitting water to pass backward." The diversity of the food 

 .iiid these special oral adjustments may be im])ortant reasons why the species is so 

 abundant and generally distributed in Oneida Lake. 



The large collection of 381 individuals (Xo. 501) of this species niade near 

 Lewis Point was undoubtedly due to the great numbers of dead or dying May-flies 

 in the water there, forming a thick floating mass along the shore and a windrow 

 u|iun it. .\])parently all of the many fish caught had been eating these insects, the 

 |)urplish fragments of which showed distinctly through the body wall of nearly 

 all of the fishes examined. The name "Spawn Eater" apjilied to this sjiecies is 

 said to have arisen from its habit of eating eggs of other fishes (I)eKay, '42, 

 ]). J06). Greeley ("27, p. 5<;) found the food of a small specimen from the (Genesee 

 River, New York, to consist of fragments of about 15 cladiKerans. 



Dislrihutioii Records. The .Spot-tailed Minnow appeared scarce and locally 

 distributed in the shallow waters where we collected from .\ugust 31 to Sej)teml)er 

 9, 1913. Only two collections contained them: Xo. cjo, 2 fish, and Xo. <>J. 14 fish. 

 lM)th from Maple Hay. In Jinie and July. Kjih, large numbers of these minni>ws 

 were taken in the following collections: Xo. 400, Froher Hay: Xo. 401, Hilling- 

 ton Hay; Xo. 403. Shackelton Point; Xo. 406. Leete Island; No. 416. I^ike]H)rt: 

 \os. 4117. 4J_'. M.ithews Point: Xos. 4J7. 4-'S. Dakin Hay; 434. Xorcross Point: 

 Xo. 441, Taft Hay: Xo. 447, I'ast Potter Hay: Xo. 453. HernhanI Hay; Xo. 456, 

 West Potter Hay: Xos. 439. 4ri3. 4^4. l-'ast Potter Hay; Xo. 470. Cleveland Hay; 

 No. 473, Lower South Hay; Xo. 4K3, Fairchild Hay: Xo. 491, Three Mile H.ny: 

 No. 49S. Messenger Hay; Xos. 500, 301, 502, Lewis Point; Xo. 307, L*|)per .South 

 Hay; Xos. 317, 318. .Sylvan Heach ; Xo. 3JJ. rrenchman's Island: Xo. 3J3, .Short 

 Point Hay: Xos. 5_'<). 33(). nimham Island; Xo. 330. (iodfrey Point; Xo. 332. 

 West Vienna; Xo. 377. Three .Mile Hay: Xo. ^cm. Sylvan Heach: Xo. 3()i). 

 Hrewerton; Xo. (u\. Lower South Hay. One fall collection. Xo. 3, made Octolx-r 

 31, 1014, contained 13 of these fish. 



r.miiiiis iiiiii Pisitisi-. More c|isense<l sinviinens of the .S]xit-tailed Minnow 

 were found than of any other species of minnow, which was proUnbly to Ik- ex- 

 l>lained by their greater abuiulance (Xos. .joo, .j«)3. 416. 4JJ. 4J7. .|_'S, .^^2, 448. 

 4R3, 498, 301, 303, 326, 340'). Fre(|nently dead examples were discovere<l and 

 these were usually large ones. alM>ut four inches in length. F.vemiamt ("oi, p. ■iS^) 

 says that the scales of this form rub ofT easily, thtis remlering it susce|itible to 

 Siif<rnlr<jtiiii. The s|>ecies was re|Hirted to him to Ik- the princi|i;il food of the 

 Muskallnngt in Chautauqua L.ike. Fowler ('13) foumi the \-ariety .V. h ,in,.,i„< 

 taken b\ the Loon ( liiiria liiinirr) (p. 8). Common Tern (Sirnia hinntdo > 



