20 College of Forestry 



the molluscaii diet. In the species of the first class, includ- 

 ing the most valuable fish, we find that the Whitefish eats 

 26 per cent, the Channel Cat, 15 per cent, and the Bluegill. 

 16 per cent. In the fishes of the second class, which are the 

 most numerous, the Round Whitefish consumes 26 per cent 

 of shellfish, the Red-mouth Buffalo, 3 per cent, the Round 

 Buffalo, 12 per cent, the Small-mouth Buffalo, 30 per cent, 

 the European Carp, 15 per cent, the Long-eared Sunfish, 

 16 per cent, the Pumpkinseed, 51 per cent, the Yellow 

 Perch, 8 per cent, and the White Perch, 90 per cent. In 

 the third class, which includes many valuable fish, we find 

 the Lake Sturgeon eating 90 per cent of shellfish, the Com- 

 mon Red-horse, 62 per cent, the Short-headed Red-horse. 50 

 per cent, the Yellow Bullhead, 5 per cent, the Common Bull- 

 head and the Black Bullhead, each 20 per cent, and the 

 Sheepshead, 100 per cent. In the fish of the fourth class 

 we find the Dogfish eating 25 per cent of shellfish, the 

 Spotted Sucker, 90 per cent, the Common Sucker, 30 per 

 cent, and the Toothed Herring and the Gizzard Shad, each 

 1 per cent. The general averages for these four classes are 

 19, 28, 50 and 29 per cent respectively. 



GAME FISH THAT FEED UPON MOLLUSK-EATING FISH 



Shellfish are not only of direct value as fish food, but are 

 also perhaps of even greater value indirectly. They are 

 food for certain other fish, which we may call " culls," 

 which of themselves are of little or no recognized direct 

 importance as food, but which are of great value as food 

 for game and food fish. The shellfish eaten by these " culls ''* 

 thus become of food value second only to the larger fish. 

 In addition to these " culls " the game fish feed upon dragon- 

 fly nymphs, frogs, and other amphibians whose food includes 

 snails (Fig. 9). 



Six game fish are especially noteworthy as eaters of 

 mollusk-eating fish. Pike and Pickerel head the list, the 

 Pickerel feeding upon Carp, Suckers, Carp minnows, etc., 

 which consume 15 per cent of shellfish, and the Wall-eyed 



