22.'^ XEW YORK STATE MUSETJM 



A male and a female were received through James Annin jr 

 from Upper Saranac lake Nov. 16, 1895. Both fish were nearly 

 spent. They were believed to be' the common whiteflsh. A 

 male from Chazy lake arrived through the same source Nov. 22, 

 1895. It was doubtfully called '' blackfin whiteflsh." At that 

 time the fish had left the spawning beds and w^ere in deep water. 

 June 17, 1896, a female 19f inches long was shipped by Mr Annin 

 from Canandaigua lake. Its stomach is pear-shaped with walls 

 more than ^ inch thick; it contained numerous small shells of 

 several genera, not yet identified. 



The species is reported by fishermen to be very abundant in 

 that lake, and to be destructive of eggs of other fish. They say 

 It comes in great numbers into shalloAV Avater near the shore in 

 early summer when the water is roily, and can be caught on 

 set lines. Mr Annin saw men baiting their set lines with small 

 minnows on Canandaigua lake, and, when the lines were taken 

 up in the morning, the whiteflsh was found on the hooks. It 

 is said that one so taken weighed 6 pounds. Sup't O. H. 

 Daniels, of the New Hampshire flsh commission, forwarded a 

 specimen from Lake Winnesquam, at Laconia, 19^ inches long, 

 weighing 46 ounces, and he wrote that individuals weighing 7| 

 pounds had recently been taken. The species was called " blue- 

 fin " and whitefish. 



The fish-eating habit of the whitefish was fully verified in the 

 aquarium on examples obtained in Canandaigua lake in November 

 1896, by Mr Annin. Knowing that the species usually subsists 

 on small raollusks and crustaceans, efforts were made to provide 

 the fish with P h y s a and Gammarus; but this became 

 difficult in winter, and an experiment was made with small 

 killifish (P u n d u 1 u s h e t e r o c 1 i t-u s and m a j a 1 i s), 

 whirl) jiroved satisfactory during the cold months. In summer, 

 however, it was found necessary to return to the use of G am - 

 m ;i IMS. The whiteflsh at flrst took the killifish without any 

 oagorness. but they soon learned to chase their prey and take 

 it unicli ;is troiil do. 



A f. iiialr received from Canandaigua lake June 17, 1896, in 

 a fresh stale, showed the following colors: membrane of pectoral 



