Food Relations of Fresh-Water Fishes. 501 



seeds and anthers of terrestrial plants, and other accidental 

 rubbish. 



From a collection made at Henry, Illinois, Nov. 1, 1887, 

 four specimens of croppie (Pomoxys nigromaculatus) are 

 comparable with five sunfishes (Lepomis pallidus), and 

 three large-mouthed black bass (Micropterus salmoides) may 

 be compared with three striped bass (Roccus chrysops}. Eighty- 

 four per cent, of the food of the Pomoxys consisted of Hex- 

 agenia larvae, an additional six per cent, being other aquatic 

 larvae, and the remaining ten per cent, consisting of fishes; 

 while the Lepomis had eaten but twelve per cent, of Hex- 

 agenia larvae, eight per cent, of other aquatic insects, and no 

 fishes at all, the remaining elements being terrestrial insects 

 (about one fourth), worms (Nais and Lumbriculus, fifteen per 

 cent.), and mollusks (thirty-seven per cent.). 



The black bass had eaten chiefly fishes and a mouse, 

 together with a few aquatic insects; while the food of the 

 striped bass was nearly all ephemerid larvas with only a trace 

 of fishes. 



A collection of small fishes, made from Mackinaw Creek, 

 in Woodford county, August 20, 1879, affords an interesting 

 opportunity to compare the food of a number of the smaller 

 species (cyprinoids, darters, etc.). About half that of four 

 specimens of Notropis megalops collected there, consisted of 

 insects, the remainder being terrestrial and aquatic vegetation; 

 and substantially the same statement may be made with respect 

 to six specimens of Notropis whipplei, these two species 

 belonging respectively to the third and fourth groups of my 

 paper on the ''Food of the Smaller Fresh Water Fishes. 11 * 



Two specimens of Hybopsis biguttatus^ on the other 

 hand, had eaten only aquatic vegetation; and two examples of 

 Phenacobius a species extremely darter-like in its haunts and 

 habits had taken only Chironomus larvae. 



The darters were represented by four examples of Bole- 

 osoma and six of Hadropterus, the former and smaller species 

 having eaten mostly Chironomus larvae and Entomostraca, 

 eighty-nine per cent, and eleven per cent, respectively, 

 while the larger had taken only aquatic larvae, nearly all 

 ephemerids. 



* Bull. 111. St. Lab. Nat. Hist,, Yol. I., No. 6, p. 76. 



