Oiuithi Lake risltcs 3S- 



iiNiiifj the lift. Thcv hibernate in this soft bntt(jni nnul. going down 4 to 9 inches, 

 and may Ik; found dormant in it. lying with the head uitward in either a vertical 

 or a nearly horizontal position, making it a]>])arent that they burrowed tail first. 

 When the water is receding in their habitat they are cai)al>ie of jumping from one 

 pool to another, and eventually jirotect themselves by burrowing as in hilK-rnation. 

 Mud Minnows may Ix; seen resting on the lx)ttom or moving slowly over it, 

 making [Hrculiar tracks. They can pass through soft mud with remarkable ease. 

 Bean ( '<j2, |). 88) says: "It has Iwen stated that this fish has Iwen jjlowed up in 

 ponds and swamps which have dried out." Forbes and Richardson ( "cx^. ]>p. 

 204-205 ) found it most fre(iucntly in lakes and fwnds and next in the smaller 

 rivers. They tpiote Haird as saying that a water that is perfectly clear and 

 ajiparently destitute of fish, will perhaps yield a numlK'r of Mud Minnows, on 

 stirring up the bottom mud antl drawing a seine through it: and that ditches on 

 the plains of Wisconsin, or mere Ixig holes containing apparently nothing but 

 tad|)oles, m.iy be founri actually t(j contain quantities of Mud Minnows. Shelford 

 ('13. ]). 142) found them in Churn l)eds in ponds near Chicago. Fowler ('o<j, 

 1>. 182) notes the darker colors of those found in cedar staine<l waters comjjared 

 with those froni jialer waters or clear streams, and thinks these fish are capable 

 of changing their color somewhat. Fvermann and Clark ( '20. \'ol. i, p. 257) 

 record the s|)ecics from deep water. 14-16 feet, in I^ke Maxinkuckee. 



Food. Forbes ("83, p. 7^) gives the results of examining the fotKl of ten 

 Illinois specimens. N'egetable food amounted to 40^, chiefly W'olffia. and .some 

 algae; mollusks. insects, entomostracans and amphipods constituted the remainder. 

 I'carse ("15. j). 19) examined 50 specimens from Wisconsin and fouml that they 

 ha<l eaten dipterous larvae including Chironoiiius, Taiiyfus, and others, with 

 cad<lice-l1y larvae, lepidopterous larvae, midges, Hemijitera, mites, amphijHKis, 

 entomostracans, mollusks, and plant material including see<ls and filamentous algae. 

 ■ MilHitt {''JO, |>. 3f/)) says: "The Mud Minnow is carnivorous. When kept in 

 a(|iiaria they will devour any reasonable numln-r of flies offered them, and uniler- 

 take. without hesitation, to swallow earthworms as large as themselves. C>nce 

 they take hold of a worm they never let go. I>ut at least secure that jMirtion of the 

 animal between their jaws. . . . Unlike any other of our fishes the nuid minnow 

 will leap twice or thrice its length alxive the surface of the water to seize a fly 

 or iR-etle that rests upon some overhanging blade of grass or twig. . . . It is 

 probable that much of the vegetable matter found in their stomachs has not 

 In-en taken voluntarily hut unavoidably: the fish swallowing jiortions of a plant 

 often for the .sake of the animal life that was clinging to it." Hankinson ("08. 

 p. 201)) found entomostracans. green algae, water mites, miclge. I'lanorhis shells, 

 and miscellaneous insect material in four sjH-cimens. Kvcnuann and tlark ( '20. 

 \'ol. 2. |>. i^>8) fouml that U^'"f of the stom.ich contents of a Mud Miimow 

 consisted of U'olffui. Pearse ('18. p. 27'*) jjives results of food rxaminatiiuis of 

 no sjK'cimcns, which are sununarized as follows: insect larvae. 2i.<)''r; pti|>ac, 

 2.1''.' : adult insects, io.()'"f : s|>iders. A'", : mites. i.2''r: amphiixKis, (yy, ; ento- 

 mostracans. 28'',': snails. 2.3'";: Sphaeri«lar, .1'";: oligochacte worm.s. a.o'Tr : 

 leeches, t.!*^; : nenmto<lcs. .4%; rotifers. 2'",; protozoans. .2'"; : plants. 21.5't': 

 alg;ie. \\.\^(. (Ireelcy ('27, p. 62) found insect larvae, including a licctlci larva. 



