Red-eared Sunfish 



eminently the small boy's fish, though it is by no means de- 

 spised by children of larger growth. Never reaching a size that 

 quite satisfies any one except the boy, yet biting with a vim 

 which makes one regret that it is not larger; for a 2 or 3 pound 

 "Sunny," would surely be a fish to try the skill and delight 

 the heart of any angler. 



The pumpkin-seed is a familiar inhabitant of clear brooks and 

 ponds from Maine to the Great Lakes and southward east of the 

 Alleghanies to Florida. In the Mississippi Valley it is found only 

 in the northern portion, being fairly abundant in Ohio, Indiana, 

 Illinois, Iowa and northward. It is said to be rather rare south 

 of Virginia. It reaches a length of 8 inches and a weight of 6 

 or 8 ounces, and is "a very beautiful and compact little fish, 

 perfect in all its parts, looking like a brilliant coin fresh from 

 the mint." 



Colour, greenish-olive above, shaded with bluish, the sides 

 spotted and blotched with orange; belly orange-yellow; cheek 

 orange, with wavy blue streaks; lower fins orange, the bluish 

 and orange spotted; opercular flap rather small, the lower pos- 

 terior part always bright scarlet, a mark which at once dis- 

 tinguishes this species, when adult, from all our other brightly 

 coloured sunfishes. 



Eupomotis gibbosus is subject to considerable variations as is 

 to be expected in a species of such wide distribution. Blue 

 stripes and blue markings on the side are very prominent in ex- 

 amples from Hicksville, Ohio, and Marion, Iowa. Examples from 

 Winona Lake, Indiana, have 7 or 8 faint dark bars on side and 

 no blue stripes on cheek. 



Red-eared Sunfish 



Eupomotis heros (Baird & Girard) 



This sunfish is found from northern Indiana to Florida and 

 the Rio Grande. It is an inhabitant of lowland streams and 

 ponds, but does not appear to be common anywhere. It reaches 

 a length of 6 or 7 inches. Nothing is definitely known as to 

 its food and game qualities. 



Body robust, moderately elongate, dorsal and ventral outlines 

 equally curved; head rather large, the projecting snout forming 



354 



