5i6 Roosevelt Wild Life Annals 



found that they had fed on a great variety of minute animals and some plants ; 

 and fish eggs had been taken to the extent of .2%. Entomostracans, dipterous 

 larvae (including Chirouoiiiiis) and snails had been eaten in important amounts. 

 Greeley ('27, p. 63). in one specimen fmni Alonroe County, N. Y.. found 60% of 

 the food to be young aquatic insects ( Zygoptera, Chironomidae) ; 20^. Crustacea 

 (Cyclops, Cladocera, Ostracoda; 8%, water mites; and 12%, snails. 



Distribution Records. The few collections of this fish from Oneida Lake are 

 as follows: Nos. 416, 418, 620, Lakeport Bay; No. 498, Messenger Bay: and No. 

 500, from the bay west of Lewis Point. At Syracuse, N. Y., collections (Xos. 

 14 and 350) were made from a small pond, through which flowed a small Oneida 

 Lake tributary stream. 



Enemies and Disease. No records have been found of other fish preying 

 regularly upon the Brook Stickleback, although it would seem that this must be of 

 frequent occurrence. Pope ('08, pp. 7, 17-18) learned that in Devil's Lake. N. D., 

 they were "seen to be caught by the thousands by gulls and terns. Immense flocks 

 of black-headed or laughing gulls (Lanis atricilla) and common terns (Sterna 

 hirimdo) rear their young on the rocky shores and islands of the lake and feed 

 upon the sticklebacks and minnows." Evermann and Clark ('20, X'ul. i, p. 2()0 ) 

 found one in the throat of a Large-mouthed Black Bass. 



The worm parasites of European sticklebacks are better known than those of 

 American species, and are suggestive of what to e.xpect here. .V tapeworm. 

 Schistocepltalus gasterosti Fab., is recorded from Gasterosteus, figured by Pratt. 

 ('16, p. 194; Cf. Stiles and Hassall. '12. p. 304). The larva is found in fish and 

 frogs, and the adult in water birds. Another tapeworm. Protcoeephahis filieallis 

 Reed, is recorded from Gasterosteus { Leidy, 04, p. 188: LaRue. '14, p. 38), and 

 a parasitic entomostracan, Lernaea, has been taken on sticklebacks in Europe 

 (Wilson, '17, p. 195). A sporozoan, Henneguya (Cf. Mavor and Strasser. '16. 

 p. 680), is known from Gasterosteus. The scant information a\ailable on the 

 subject is evidence of the neglect of this common species. 



Economic Relations. This fish is too small to be of much value as an indi- 

 vidual, but in some localities stickleback schools are so abundant as to be of value 

 as food for domestic animals and for man. as a source of oil. and as a fertilizer 

 (Cf. Gill, '07, p. 496). No definite information is available as to the economic 

 value of the Brook Stickleback. The pugnacious disposition of the species, their 

 egg eating habits, and their harboring of parasites which also infest other and 

 more valuable fishes, are phases of their habits and economics needing investigation. 



Sticklebacks are frequently kept in aquaria, but in spite of this, little seems 

 to be recorded of their behavior. Reighard ( '10. p. 1 1 ii>) reports that be has not 

 been alile to breed them in aquaria; and Bean ( '03, p. },j,y ) statt-s that "This fresh- 

 water stickleback appears to live better in balamed tanks than in lliiwing water 

 and is not hardy in captivity." Barker ("iS. p. ^jii) notes that it tliri\es when 

 fed on bits of angle worms or tiny pieces of fresh nuat. 



References. Barker, '18; Bean, '03; Eggeling and Ehrenberg. 'u: I'orbes. 

 '83, '83a; Gill, '07; Greeley, '27; Hankin.son, '16; Jordan. '05; LaRue. '14: l.ridy. 

 '04: Mavor and Strasser, 't6; Pettit. '02: Pope. '08: Pratt. 'ifi: Reigb;n-(1. '10: 

 Seelev. ",% : Stiles and Hass.all. '12: Wilson. 'oT. "it; Woohnan, '.,;. 



