430 Rooscfi'lt Wild Life Annals 



Perch of the deeper waters of our inland lakes show a preference for 

 aquatic vegetation. Hankinson ('08, p. 214) found them in the pondweed zone 

 of Walnut Lake, and he has found most successful Perch fishing in other lakes 

 where there is a scant growth of tall pondweeds in eight or ten feet of water. 

 Reighard, however, ('15, p. 236) found that the larger Perch of Douglas Lake 

 did not occur with aquatic vegetation; but those under six inches in length were 

 taken where plants were abundant. Evermann and Clark ('20, p. 424) find Perch 

 living among Potamogcton amcricanus in Lake Maxinkuckee, and the plant 

 accordingly is called the "perch weed" in this locality. 



The nocturnal distribution of Perch in a body of water shows some difference 

 from the diurnal. \\'ith a search light at night large ones were seen in shallower 

 water of Walnut Lake, while none were seen during the day (Hankinson, '08, p. 

 215). Pearse and .\chtenberg. as before noted, found them coming to the surface 

 at night. 



In winter. Perch are very abundant and active in Oneida Lake, and large 

 numbers are caught through the ice; fishing seems best in eight to twelve feet of 

 water. Hankinson has caught many through ice in ponds and lakes in Michigan. 

 Evermann and Clark ('20, p. 425) mention seeing large numbers through ice in 

 Lake Maxinkuckee, showing the species to be active in winter in that lake also. 



Food. The food of the Perch has been found, through studies of many fish 

 from many waters, to be very diverse, a condition which we would expect frcmi 

 its wide geographic range. Generalizations concerning its fciod are thus difficult 

 to make. It can be said that it consists principally of small living animals, largely 

 insects, crustaceans and fishes. The young have a strong preference for minute 

 crustaceans, but after the first summer their food is like that of the adult. 



We opened many young Perch from Oneida Lake with a view of determining 

 the food habits. Seven specimens, measuring about 2 to 3 inches. coiUained 

 principally entomostracans, with Cladocera prominent. Chironomids and other 

 aquatic insects were noted, including some corixids (No. 456). Two (Nos. 401, 

 416) had eaten fish eggs. Baker ("16. p. 192) also studied the food of seven 

 young of these sizes and found -mall crustaceans, J'osiuiiui. Daphiiia. Ilyalrlla. 

 and some insects (odonates and cbiiunnniids ). 



Among adult Perch from < >neida Lake examined as to food habits, one. 6 

 inches long, had eaten a sunfisb j inches long (No. 563). In February, T()21. 

 Hankinson examined the catches made by ice fishermen at Oneida Lake and 

 Studied the stomach contents of many of the Perch they had caught in eight to 

 twenty feet or more of water. These seemed to have eaten onl\- Imrrowing 

 May-fly nymphs of the Hcxagcnia t)-pe. These fish were caught on hooks baited 

 with Perch eyes and small minnows. 



Baker ('16, p. 192) found in seven IVrcli 4 to 8 in. long, from Oneida Lake. 

 crawfi.sh, Odonata nymphs, chinmoniid larvae, amphi])ods (llyalcUa). a small 

 mussel, and small fishes. 



The large amount of data on the food of Perch in bodies of water other than 

 Oneida Lake can not be incorporated in this paper, Init an effort will be made to 

 give the important findings published by different investigators, in the following 

 table. 



