462 Rooscirit Wild Life .liinals 



Food. Baker ('16, p. 196) found the food of three Oneida Lake examples 

 of this species to be crustaceans (Entomostraca and aniphipods), Diptera, gastro- 

 pods and algae. Abbott ('84, p. 359) writes of their being carnivorous as croco- 

 diles, with the digestion of an ostrich, and tells of their predilection for quiet by- 

 ways in streams. This seems to be a result of the habits of other animals which 

 bring their food to these retreats to enjoy it at leisure and always leave fragments 

 for the benefit of the darters. "Indeed." says Abbott, "these fish do not wait 

 always for the crumbs that may fall from some mightier creature's table, as I 

 have often seen them crowd around some happy turtle that had brought a fish or a 

 fragment of flesh to this shallow in order to dine in peace. The little darters, 

 however, did not wait to be invited, but standing at the other end of the fish or 

 flesh, would give it little tugs and nips while the turtle was busily engaged in biting 

 oflf larger and larger mouth fuls. These darters are the most persistent egg- 

 hunters anywhere to be found, and in spite of the vigilance of the parent fish, 

 will dart in and out and swallow the eggs that have been laid and placed with 

 so much care. Many fish so place their eggs that they are not accessible to the 

 darters ; but when laid in the sand, as the sunfish do, or among loose pebbles only, 

 the darters can readily find them, and they quickly devour all they discover." We 

 noticed one of these darters near Dunham Island about the eggs of Hyborhynchits 

 notatiis that were being guarded by a male of this species. The darter appeared 

 to be after the eggs, but the attending fish was very successful in keeping it away. 



Distribution Records. The following collections gave examples of this 

 species: No. 75, Scriba Creek and Frederick Creek; No. 83, Johnson's Bay; No. 

 86, Poddygut Bay; No. 88, Chittenango Creek; Nos. 90, 91, 92, Maple Bay; No. 

 99, Walnut Point; No. 120, Big Bay; No. 124, Fairchild Bay; No. 142, Fred- 

 erick Creek ; No. 305, Brewerton ; No. 309, Lower South Bay ; No. 400. Froher 

 Bay; No. 401, Billington Bay; Nos. 403, 404, Shackelton Point; No. 406, Leete 

 Island; Nos. 425, 427, 428, Dakin Bay Creek; No. 434, Norcross Point; No. 441, 

 Taft Bay ; No. 447, East Potter Bay ; No. 448, near Taft Bay ; No. 453. Bernhard 

 Bay; No. 456, West Potter Bay; Nos. 459, 463, 464, East Potter Bay; No. 470, 

 Cleveland Bay; No. 483. Fairchild Bay; No. 491, Three Mile Bay; Nos. 500, 501, 

 Lewis Point; No. 507, Upper South Bay; Nos. 512, 515, Fish Creek; No. 517, 

 Sylvan Beach ; No. 522, 543, Frenchman Island ; No. 526, Maple Bay ; Nos. 530, 

 529, Dunham Island ; No. 550, Godfrey Point ; No. 552, W. Vienna ; No. 553, 

 West Vienna Creek ; No. 559, Willow Point; No. 585. Lower South Bay; No. 591, 

 Sylvan Beach; No. ^<)t,. N'drth P.ay ; No. 594. West X'icnna; No. 5()i). l'>re\ver- 

 ton; No. 603, Fairchild i'.ay; No. 604, Fairchikl P.ay and Wedgeworth Pnint ; 

 Nos. 605, 607, Shaw Bay; No. ()ii, Lower Soutli P>ay : Xn. (113. Prc-wcrtdii : No. 

 614, Norcross Point ; No. 4272, Messenger Bay. 



Eiicutics and Disease. Embody ('10. p. 630") fnund a specimen nl this darter 

 in the entcron of a King luder (.Soinateria s/^eeluhilis ) that liad been (.•aiilurcd on 

 Seneca River. N. "S'., November 26, 1909. l-'.verniann and Kendall ( 't)(), j). 603) 

 report at least 30 of these darters in the stomach of a P.urbot {Lola niacidosa) 14 

 inches long. Abbott ('73, p. 83) tells of finding them captured by crawfish, under 

 stones where the darters had sought concealment. The caudal half of a Tessellated 

 Darter was fouml in llu- stimiacli cif a pike, li.ui.v liiciiis. 4' j inches Imig. cau,L;ht in 



