Oiiriila Lake l-isli.s 487 



The Ulucgill is the largest of the suiifishcs, acconling to Jordan and Ever- 

 niaiiu (03, J). 34<j). reaching a length of 14 inches and a weight of nearly a jKjund. 

 The niaxiinnni weight is almut one and one-half imuiids. Stranahan ('12. j). 1S4) 

 says, "It seems ])rol)aI)le that the older and larger females spawn earlier than the 

 smaller and younger ones, and it is apparently estahlisheil that a single male will 

 occupy the same l>ed continuously fnr weeks and even iniinth>, accommodating 

 several females during the time." 



Mvermann and Clark ('20, \'ol. 1, |). 397) found Hluegills spawning in I-ake 

 M.ixiTiknckee <luring the latter half of June, their spawning l)eds la-ing usually 

 liH-.ited <in shallow liars where the water is four to eight feet deei>. The nests 

 were six inches to a foot in diameter. 



l-Jiiljody ('13, p. J2~) gives the average length of Hluegills five months old 

 as two trj two and one-half inches: at one year, three to four inches: at two years, 

 five to six inches. Holen ('24, ]). 309). from scale stutlies of 39 Hluegills frtmi 

 Winona I^kc, Indiana, found an increase in length of ahout 77'f lietween the 

 ages of one and two years; aliout 37S the following year, and i(>'; the next. 



Hiihildl. Hluegills are characteristic sunfish of small lakes. The many small 

 glacial lakes of the (>reat I-;ikes region apjuar to furnish them ideal conditions 

 for existence. They live in streams but are most common in large ones ( Forl)es 

 and Kichardson, '09, j). 25S: Jordan and Evermaini, 03, ]>. 34<>). In Walnut 

 I-ake, Hankinson { 'oS. p. 2121 foun<l the species showing a strong preference for 

 the pondweed zone. In the summer it was confined closely to this zone, hut in the 

 spring the fish frecpiently came to shallow water. shorewar<l of this zone. Keighard 

 ('15. J). 233) found the species at Douglas Lake in shallow water ami among 

 vegetation. an<l says that it is taken on the hook wherever there is vegetation. 

 J«)rdaii and I-'vermaini ('03, p. 350) say that Hluegills are usually found in five to 

 fifteen feet of water on the edges of liars where there are patches of I'otumoticton 

 ami other plants. 



I".vermaini and tlark ('20. ]>. 401 ) tell of the young hiding .unong Cluna and 

 weeds near the shore, in shallow water, in winter. 



/•(>(»(/. I'orlies ("So. |>. 53) examined twenty-four examples of this sjiecics, 

 fnuling as their food many of the larger a<|uatic insects such as caddice-fly larvae, 

 dragon-lly nymphs ami many an)])hiiHKls and other trustacea. including some 

 i-ntomosiracans and crawfish, .^ome of the sjK*cimcns containe«l ac|uatic plants, 

 consiituiing :ilM>ut one-fourth of the fiMnl — too large a <|uantity. according to 

 Forlxs. to have Inen swallowed aicidently with the animal matter eaten. Sonie 

 niolhisks had l»een eaten also. Hankinson ("oS. p. 212) examined eighteen of this 

 s|H-cies from Walnut l.akc. They seenied to show a seasonal change of fotnl; 

 spring s|HHimeiis were taking chiefly cad<lice larvae, crawfish, Cliirononius larvae 

 and pupae, .\lay-tly inniphs, ami Siulis larvae. In summer the principal fixMl was 

 crawfish. jjr.isshopjK-rs. crickets, ami other terrestrial insi-cts, with enlomosiracans. 

 I'earse ('15, p. 12) stmlieil the fixnl of sixteen Hluegills, finding almut two-thirds 

 of the fiMMl to Ik- crustaceans, chiefly (.ladiK-era : the remain<ler was largely insect 

 larvae with Cliirotioiniis jirominent. 



I'earse ('21, p. 2<»4 ) reiH>rls on examination of the ftwHl of eighteen Hluegills 

 ranging in length from alHuit I'i to nearly S inches. The ftKxl was nearly half 



