ZOOI.OfHCAI. SOCIETY BULLETIN 



kinds of turtk-s will eat all the above named 

 foods, as well as snails, small aquatic mollusks. 

 and insects. Others like very tender, green 

 vegetables, such as tomatoes, lettuce, celery, 

 and various water plants. The food of some 

 s])ecies consists largely of the bulbs of sedges, 

 (Ci/pcnix). wliile with others it is chiefly small 

 water mollusks. 



.Some of the turtles are active fish eaters, and 

 will do well if su])plied with live minnows. The 

 wood-"turtle" and other species which forage 

 on land as well as in the water, are fond of 

 berries, mushrooms, and many kinds of fruit ^ 

 and vegetables, while nearly all kinds will eal 

 grubs. The box tortoise eats berries, mush 

 rooms, and some garden vegetables as well as 

 grubs and worms. 



Turtles should be provided with a variety 

 of foods until the kinds suited to each species 

 are ascertained. Some species of turtles feed 

 only under water, consequently it is absolutely 

 necessary for them to have access to water 

 when they are fed. 



If their surroundings can lie ni.ulc to ap- 

 proach natural c<inditions — that is. if they can 

 have access to a compartment in their (juarters 

 where there is dry sand, earth and sods, where 

 grubs, worms, and other food can be thrown in 

 abundance — success in keeping them will be 

 more likely to follow. And it is remarkable 

 how quickly they learn the exact location of 

 food and drink. Once fed in a certain location, 

 thev will invarialily seek that jilacc wlien urged 

 hv hunger. 



A SEARCH FOR GIANT GARS. 

 li// I.. L. Mowbray. 



IX .V))ril. li)l K the writer left the New York 

 .Vquarium for the Lower Mississijipi to 

 make a collection of the fishes of that region. 

 ])articularly the large gars and catfishes which 

 are to be found in the largest numbers in the 

 states of Mississippi and Louisiana. 



There are many places where the gars can 

 be taken, but the most essential point was to 

 secure the s))ecimens as near a railroad station 

 as possible, the journey back to the Aquarium 

 being a long one at best. 



Maddox, on the Yazoo Pass. Mississi])pi. was 

 selected owing to its proximity to Moon Lake. 

 where Mr. Ira E. McGehee makes his head- 

 qu.irters in carrying on a fishery industry. The 

 ])riiici|ial feature of tlu- work is the taking of 

 (he spooii-l.ill catfish {rol ijoilni, spaihiila). the 



G1.\NT GARS. YAZOO PASS. MISSISSHMM 



eggs of which are used in the preparation of 

 caxiar. 



On arrival at Maddox the fishery was found 

 to be concluding for the season, but on learning 

 that the Aquarium was desirous of procuring a 

 collection for exhibition purposes, Mr. McGehee 

 kindly offered his services and equipment and 

 immediately set to work locating large gars. 

 He stated at the outset, however, that it was 

 too late in the season and that the gars , if 

 taken, would be very weak owing to their hav- 

 ing spawned. 



The great gar (Lcpisosteiis ijisfot'cliiis) rep- 

 resents a very interesting family of fishes and 

 the floor pools of the Aquarium ])resent a very 

 good opportunity of exhibiting it. If specimens 

 are once located safely at the Aquarium it 

 should be a matter of little effort to keep them. 

 The long and short nosed gars, w-hich are e.x- 

 hibited in the wall tanks on the fresh water 

 side of the building have been in captivity for 

 twelve years and with sufficient space for free 

 movement the keeping of the giant gars of the 

 Mississi])])i would be compartively easy. 



Several weeks of continuous fishing were 

 spent in every known locality of Moon Lake, 

 in an endeavor to secure a good supply of giant 

 gars, but on the second or third day after cap- 

 ture they would either succumb or become too 

 weak for shipment. 



Mr. McGehee and liis men. wh > are trained 

 in iiandling the fishes of that region, used every 

 effort ))ossil)le to keep the fishes with sufficient 

 \itality to warrant the tri]i north but failed. 

 After having tried repeatedly, without success, 

 to secure the gars, the writer started for New 

 York witli a good collecticui of small fishes from 

 the Moon Lake region, which seemed to be in 



