0)niclii Lake I-'isltcs 3'"' 



If the food of IJliint-iioscd Minnows were to l>e studied ami omiiiared witli 

 that of other fishes in ( )iieida Lake it is hkely that these nunnows wouKl he found 

 to compete with some of the others, as they do in Wahiut Lake ( HankinMin. 08, 

 p. _'04). They probably cat eggs of some fishes, iiichiding those of black bass and 

 sunfish, as they were found to do in Walnut I^ike (I.e., p. 204), and in this way 

 they may be positively destructive to food fishes. Fishennen consider it to Ijc a go<->d 

 bait minnow in ( )neida I^ke, for it lives well on the hook, and large ones arc 

 attractive to I'crch. Kvermann ('01, p. 315) says it is the best and most im]xjrtant 

 Iwit minnow obtained from l^kc Maxinkuckce, Indiana. 



References. Kigcnmann, \/i\ Evcrmann, '01; Forbes, '83, "88, cxj; l-'orljes 

 and Hichardson, 'o^j; Fowler, '12, '13: Greeley, '27; Hankinson, '08; Moore. '20: 

 I'earse, '18; Rcighard, '15. '20; X'oris, \jt); Wright and Allen, '13. 



Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque. Spotted C.\tfish, Cii.vxxix C.vt. (.See 

 F'igure _'ik). ) rhi> i> primarily a fish of large swift and clear streams. .\n effort 

 should lie made to jirnpagtite this species in CTiittenango Creek and Oneida River, 

 as it is one of the best inland food fishes. It is readily distinguished from other 

 Oiiei<la I-ake Catfish by its forked tail and the small round spots over the sides of 

 its l)ody. .\ single market specimen is all we have obtained of this catfish from 

 Oneida I-ake. 



Hreedincj Iftihils and Life History. The s])awning season, according to Forl)es 

 and Richardson ['(*), p. 183), is in May, but it is reported by Jordan to iK-gin 

 spawning in June. 



Surlier ("20, ]>. U)) says it spawns in very swift water, sometime during the 

 early spring, or not later than July ist. 



Dyche ('14, ]>. 78) notes that while the sjjawning habits of the Channel Cat 

 are not well understoml, it is generally In-lievcd among fish culturists that the eggs 

 will not hatch except in currents and channels of moving water. 



Jones ("84, ]). 321) asserts that the "Speckled Catfish" (which Kendall 

 assumes to Ik- punctatus. although as .Shira '17. p. 78, has suggeste<l. there is 

 sonte reason to doubt this identity » sjwwns when a year old, in May and again in 

 Scptemlicr, and cares for its young. If this double season is true it is the only 

 Oneida I-ike species that has two breeding seasons; and it suggests a long brcctl- 

 ing iK-rifMl interrupted by the warm weather. Jones" observations were nia<Ic in 

 Georgia, where ]KTha|)s the season is not interruiited as it is in the northern 

 part of its range. It is unusual for a fish to .s|)awn in lM)th warming and cooling 

 water. KIlis ('14. j). 18) records the s|>awning season for Colorado as the "latter 

 fwrt of May, June, and early part of July." Kendall ('10. p. 31 ) remarks: "Obser- 

 vations as to the spawning habits of this sjx-cies have |>roved difficult to make, 

 and are as yet inade<inate to afford pro|RT knowledge upon which to procitMl ." 

 \ery recently, however, an im|Hirtant |>aiH'r by Shira t'17) adds much to our 

 knowledge of the Ijreeding habits and life history of this fish. In a large aeniarinm 

 at the Hnreau of Fisheries, at Washington. obser%'ations were also mailc (Ic. 

 ]i. 7<»l showing that on July i>, the female laid aUnit 3,<xxi eggs in a nest, and that 

 the male care<l for the young. The i>air refusril IcmmI and hilHTnate<! during the 

 winter. The successful rearing of the young was done in the |>onds at Fairjxirt 

 Riological Station on the Mississippi River, where the eggs were dc|x>silc<l in nail- 



