OnciJa Lake I'islus 4'^Ji 



Urccding Habits ami Life History. Kggs of this species were found June 

 jj, njiO, in the west part of I'otter Bay. They were on the under side of a large 

 piece of tin that lay on the gravelly bottom in two feet of water. .\ heavily pig- 

 mented male guarded the eggs Ixjldly. When the tin was removed, he remained 

 about the spot where it had lain, and when ilrivcn away he wduld promptly return. 

 The tin was placetl in a dip-net ar.d lnwered to the iMjttom near the male fish which 

 came at once under the net. .\ number tif these dark-colored breeding fish were 

 seen and taken in the lake at alnrnt this time, but careful search did not reveal any 

 other eggs. There were very few stones that could In; used to shelter eggs fm the 

 shoals, for all were driven firmly into the bottom soil, evidently by ice. Possibly 

 the fish attach their eggs to upjxrr surfaces of stones, as Seal ('92, p. 9) found 

 them doing in an ai|uarium. The account of the breeding of this species by Seal 

 (I.e.) is here quoted: "The eggs were deixisitcd on the under surfaces of stones, 

 or on the backs of them, where one leaned Jigainst the ends or back fif the tank, or 

 against another stone, in a single irregular layer over an area of alnnit 1x3 inches. 

 They were alwut the sixe and aj>i)earance of those of the common sunfish and were 

 deposited in the same manner. The great activity and brilliant coloration of the 

 male, which is ordinarily one of the most solier-hued of the darter family, differing 

 but little from the female, were very cons])icuf>us. 



"The spawning was effecte<l by jiassing up and down over the surface chosen 

 until all the eggs were e.xtruded and adhering to the stone. The fish undoubtedly 

 pair, for, although all the males would be in a state of great excitement and would 

 cn<lcavor to join in the operation, tluy were invariably driven away by the success- 

 ful male, who would dart at them furiously with o|X"n mouth and fins quivering 

 with excitement, the colors glowing with increased brilliancy and intensity. The 

 male guards the eggs incessantly and drives every fish from their vicinity during 

 incubation, retaining the brilliant color until that duty is over." 



The largest ressellate<l Darters caught by us in ( )nei<la I-'ike were Jm inches 

 long. They are saiil to grow to a length of 3'/. inches (Jordan and Mvermann. 

 '"/», p. H)-'/). Wright and .\llen (13, p. 6) give as the l)reeding place of the 

 Johnny Darter (very prokibly incknling this s|)ecies), gravelly shallows under 

 stones or overlapping edges. lU-an ('i)j. ]). 187) tells of certain eggs attached to 

 the lower siiles of stones having In-en found in Fre<lerick tVeek. These were 

 hatched and foinid to Ik- Johiuiy Darter eggs. 



Hahitat. These darters were innnerovis in the shallow water alniut < )neida 

 I.ake on nnid. gravel, and sand bottom and also in streams near the lake. Our 

 collectif)ns make it ap|H'ar that they have jireference for sindy Itoltoms. In <ither 

 regions this darter i- often found over nniddy lM)ttoms. Wright ('iS. p. 543). 

 from his studies of tributaries of I.ake ( )ntari<i. says the species is not restricted 

 to a gravelly lK)ttom an«l swift current, as many other ilarlers arc. Kowler ('06, 

 p. .v>i) notes such a ]>reference in streams. .Nblmtt ('84, p. 35<)) found Olmsted's 

 Darters wandering iiulefinilely upstream, ami no puddle apiK-areil to Ik* too small 

 for them. They were in greatest abimdance in a little slullow just otT the main 

 chaimel of a small creek where there was no |K'rceptible current, and tlie Ixittom 

 was of mud with a thin stratum of sand over it. In this sjuid they left intprcs- 

 sions as they niove<l alniut. by which they cotild Ixr tiackeil. .'Sometimes this darter 

 buries itself in the s;uiil, leaving only its eyes visible ( Xasb. '(kS, p. (]fi). 



