Oiuiila l.iikc Fislu'S 49' 



Ilankinson (VjS. p. ju: id. \>. jou I>>uiu1 two nests «>f this s|)ecies in 

 Walnut Lake. Michigan, on July i. i^o^). These were in the hulrush /one. in 

 14 inches (if water The ei^j^s were attached tn the roots of the rushes which had 

 been swept clean of the l)ottoni marl. He often found the species hreedinn in 

 other lakes of Southern Michi^jan and in the larger streams alxnit (."harleston. 

 Illinois. All the nests were very similar to those found at Oneida I-akc, in Ikmuk 

 neat, almost circular dejiressions. more distinct than those of the Common Jsunlish. 

 anil smaller, the diameter lieiuj,' evitlently correlated with the smaller size of the 

 nestinj,' fish. 



Ilahital. 'I'he neslinj,' hahitat apparently includes ^jravelly bottoms in ( )neida 

 I^ike. since the few nests found were on gravel beds; but only one nest (at Milton 

 Point May) was. as indicated, in a natural habitat: the others were on an artificial 

 gravel bed. No notes were obtained on the haunts of this fish in the lake at any 

 other time than the breeding season. 



Korlies and Richardson ( 'oy. p. J55 » find Long-eared .Sunfish to be inhabitants 

 of creeks and smaller rivers, in Illinois, and to be uncommon in larger rivers ami 

 lakes. Hankins(jn ('13, |). no) finds it a very common sunfish about Charleston, 

 Illinois, in large creeks and small rivers, but scarce in small streams. It lives in 

 the (|uiet, deep places in the streams. Hay ('94, p. 259), writing of the fish in 

 Indiana, says that it haimts the «|uiet pools in clear streams. 



l-oitd. Forbes and Richardson ( 'o<>. p. 255) stale: "( )ur scanty observations 

 indicate that it feeds on a(|uatic insects, nxistly larvae of gnats and day-flies." 

 Hankinson f'o8, |). 21 J) examined the food of three specimens taken in Walnut 

 Lake on May <>. ii>y>. and found them to have eaten May-fly and dragi>n-fly 

 nym!)hs. caddice larvae and leeches. DeRyke ( '2J p. 35) fi>und in one sixrinuii 

 alxiut four inches long, from Winona Lake, Indiana, nine caddice larvae, thri-e 

 CliiroiKiiiiiis larvae, one beetle larva ( Haliplidae) and one snail. 



liislrihiitinti h'lionis. All of the specimens taken were caught at Hrewerton, 

 on July 25, Kjit). These are: No. 5<>S. a nesting male, with some eggs taken 

 from the nest he was guarding; No. y/). sixteen examples from the s])awniiig 

 In'd at Hrewerton; No. '>I3. eight specimens from this same lin-ality. seven having 

 opercnl.ir flaps conspicuously long and In-ing in all probability breeding males, and 

 measuring from 2' 4 to 4^4 inches. 



liconomic Kclaliniis. 'ihe flesh of this s|H-cies is of gcMKl <|ualily. but the 

 small si/e of the fish makes it of little value as a food. However, in regions where 

 tiiere are no larger sunfish it is much sought for. and considerable pleasure attend> 

 its capture. Hay ( ■<)4. ji. 25<> ) says that kirring its small si/e. it is as giMKl as any 

 of our other sunfislies. Jordan and i-'vennann ('03, p. 347) consider it not c^sen- 

 tially different from any of the otlier smaller stnifishes. cither as a pan-lish or in its 

 game ijiialities. In llie streams alxMit Charleston. Illinois. Hankinson has fouml 

 these sunfish to Ik- vigorous biters, taking minnows as well as worms, and often 

 to be a great nuisance to a [H-rson seeking larger fish. 



l\',firiiiti's. Mean, "i^; DeRyke. '22: Korlics. 'So; Forlies and Richardson. 

 *o<); Hankinson. 'oS, '10; H.ty. '04; Jordan and Kvcnn.inn. '03. 



