OiiiiJa Lake Fishes 365 



luoiwiiiics ami .InyliiKj. If tliiM- fisli feed extensively on insects, as tliey 

 api)ear tu dtj ( Haker, '16, p. 171 ), they may compete with the more desirable sun- 

 fish, ]>erch, and other species in Uneida I^ikc that cat insects. To what extent this 

 is counterbalanced by the shiners bccominj; food for l)etter fishes is not known. 

 There is a diversity of opinion as to the palatability of (iolden Shiners, anrl perhaps 

 they ditTer in this resiwct in different regions. Ilankinson has found lar^e ones 

 to he fair table fish. Forbes and Kichardson ( '09, p. 127) mention it as "an excel- 

 lent pan-fish." It is shi]j])ed by dealers from Oneida I^ke to New York City as 

 cull fish. Nash ('08, p. 39) says it is soft and weed flavored. Its small size and 

 lack of gameness certainly <Io not make it a favorite with anglers, except as bait. 

 .According to Gieney ('r;S, ]>. 243), it is e.xcellent for lake trout fishing, and he 

 ]«id as much as a dollar for two Golden Shiners for this ])ur])ose. He says that 

 they are used as bait for black bass in summer, but are not considered as gtuKJ for 

 this |)ur])ose as others of the Cyprii\idae. Its silvery sides make it attractive as a 

 Iwit. but it lacks hardiness on the hook and its scales are lost easily. Forlies and 

 Kichardson ('txj, p. 127) consider it a good bait for black bass. 



In stagnant waters the (iolden .Shiner is a valuable mosijuito destroyer. Smith 

 ('04, ]). 106) .says that wherever it occurs mo.s(|uito larvae are absent. Kx|)eri- 

 mentally this was made convincing by introducing a s])ecinien into a barrel swarm- 

 ing with wrigglers, where in a couple of days it had devoured i)ractically all of 

 the larvae. It was then transferre<l to another barrel where its work was e(|ually 

 thorough, although a little slower. .Against Cutcx this s]iecies is excellent, but 

 against Aiiophfhs and some other species that favor grassy areas it is less 

 im|)ortant. .Seal ('io» seems to consider it the only fresh-water minnow worthy 

 of attention in this coimection. M<Mire"s results ('~-. \>- 14 • niake it appear that 

 this fish has ln-en much overrated as a nios(|nito destroyer. In Oneida I-ike the 

 species constitutes a ]M>tential and indirect supi)ly of nourishing human fo«Kl. 

 lunlxKly ("15. p. J37 I notes the fiolden Shiner to be an imiMirtant ]M»nd fish as 

 food for other fish, fully meeting the four re<|uirenu-nts of a "forage fish" of a 

 |Mind in that (\) it spawns in the |Mind; (j) its fiMnl consists largely of vegeta- 

 tion; (3) it is relished by fishes desirable for pro]wgation : and ( 4 ) it d<K-s not 

 grow so rapi<lly the first years as to make it tiKi large to Ik* eaten by other fishes. 

 Kendall ('18. p. 51S) considers it an excellent Iwit fish in Maine. 



Ktfi'rctut-s. .\bl)ott, '74; .Mien, '14; Haker. '16: Mean. '03: tlu-ney. '98; 

 DtKay. '4J : KmlKHly. '15; ICvermann. 01 : Forlies, '83: ForU-s and Kichardson. 

 ■(X): I'owler. 'o<>, '13, '14; fireeley. "27: Ilankinson, 'iiS; .Moore, F.. 'j2; Moore. 

 ]. v.. 'jj: Xash, 'oK; Nelson, V^); Nichols, '15; Schult/. '-»<>; .Seal, 'lo; Smith. 

 '04; Tracy, "in; Wright and .\llen. '13 



Hybognathus regius (iirard. Sii.vixv Minnow. This is a common min- 

 now in the lake, often foinid with other s|Hries along the shore. I'he form calh-il 

 "smelt" or "gudgeon." identical with this s|xties. is common near tlie montli of 

 the Delaware an<l jK-rhaps in otiur rivers on the coast, and Invomcs large enough 

 for the pan. sometimes nine inches in length (Fowler, '»>. p. 522). None more 

 than four inches long were caught by ns in ( »neida I-ike. 



Ifriiditiij. In July. 1916, we found schcMils of small .Silvery Minnows at 

 r.Ml.lvgut May ( Nos 5^*), Ciof,) and Three Mile Hay (No. 577). Since these fish 



