Lake Maxinktickee, Physical and Biological Survey 419 



On another occasion he caught one not much shorter in length 

 than this, but weighing only 5 or 6 pounds. 



As to rate of growth in the lake, this is found to vary a good 

 deal with individuals in the same waters. The young of the year 

 were about 1 inch long on July 5, 1899, and in September and 

 October, 1906, the smallest Straw Bass seen were about 2^ or 

 3 inches long and were supposed to represent the young of the year. 



The Straw Bass about the lake seem to be quite free from 

 parasitic copepods. leeches, etc. Internal parasites are not rare. 

 During the winter of 1900-1901, nearly all the stomachs examined 

 were empty of food but almost all contained a few distomids, one 

 lot examined averaging about 8 distomids apiece. The young are 

 sometimes afflicted with numerous parasites. Some examined 

 July 24, 1906, contained a few distomids ; a small one examined 

 July 30, had one distomid; and of 3 small examples studied July 

 23, all contained parasites ; one about 3 inches long, contained the 

 usual distomids, the second 2 inches long contained 1 Acanthoceph- 

 alus, and another 2^ inches long contained 4 different kinds of in- 

 ternal parasites. 



Head 3 to 3^ in length; depth 3 to 3{ ; eye 5 to 6 in head; D. 

 X, 12 or 13; A. Ill, 10 or 11; scales 7-65 to 70-18, about 58 to 67 

 pores, 10 or 11 rows of scales on cheek. Body ovate-fusiform, 

 becoming deeper with age, moderately compressed ; head large ; 

 mouth very wide, the maxillary in adult reaching beyond the eye, 

 shorter in the young; scales on body comparatively large; teeth 

 sometimes present on tongue; gillrakers longer than gill-fringes; 

 dorsal fin very deeply notched, its fifth spine 3| in head. General 

 color, dark green above, sides and below greenish silvery; young 

 with a blackish stripe along the side from opercle to middle of 

 caudal fin ; 3 oblique dark spots above and below lateral line ; caudal 

 fin pale at base, then blackish, and whitish at tip ; belly white. As 

 the fish grows older the black lateral stripe breaks up and grows 

 paler and the color becomes more and more uniform pale dull 

 green, the back being darker. 



53. WALL-EYED PIKE 



STIZOSTEDION VITREUM (Mitchill) 



(Plate 30) 



The Wall-eyed Pike is a species of wide distribution. It is 

 found from Lake Champlain westward throughout the Great Lakes 

 region and to Assiniboia. It is native also to the small lakes of 

 New York and the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers, east of the 



