DELAWARE VALLEY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 15 



I have frequently seen the Kingfisher dive into the water and 

 capture a roach (^6ra7n is crysoleucas) , which in many places 

 seems to be its chief food. This is doubtless the case, as the 

 roach is one of the most common and easily secured of all our 

 small fishes. Other minnows it takes are fat-heads (Pimephales 

 notatus), spawn-eaters (Notropis hudsonius amarus'), bridled min- 

 nows (iV. bifrenatus), silver-fins (i\^. whipplii analostanus), besides 

 those already referred to. Its menu is likely still greater, as most 

 all of our small cyprinoids are devoured. 



Crow {Corvus brachyrhynchos). A familiar resident, and 

 especially abundant along our rivers in cold weather. Though 

 the examples I examined usually contained vegetable matter, 

 occasionally remains of small fish were noted, evidently roach 

 (Abramis crysoleucas), and kiWi^sh. {Fundulus heteroclitus macro- 

 lepidotus). 



Purple Grackle ( QtiiscaZws quiscula). Occurs in the summer 

 months scattered along our streams, where it will sometimes 

 devour young minnows, left by the tides or otherwise accessible. 

 I have seen them take young roach (Abramis crysoleucas), when 

 less than two inches in length, along the shores of the Delaware. 

 Mr. Joseph Wilcox has reported the habit of grackles feeding 

 on fish many years ago. ^ 



In concluding it may be interesting to note that the larger 

 and more powerful predatory fishes are able to capture and 

 overcome birds which may frequent the shores, swim on the 

 water, wade through it, or dive below its surface. Large pike 

 (Esox lucius) and eels (Anguilla anguilla) are known to capture 

 water birds in Europe. Regan ^ mentions, ''not many years 

 ago a large eel was captured in a pond near Sherborne by a 

 laborer, who noticed a swan in difficulties and went to see what 

 was the matter; the bird had put its head under water and this 

 had been seized by the eel, who would not let go until it was in 

 the grasp of the man who landed it. ' ' The most famous of bird- 

 eating fishes is the angler {Lophius piscatorius) , also called goose 

 fish, as some ' ' have been known to swallow live geese. ' ' Storer 



1 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. , 1877, p. 38. 

 "British Freshwater Fishes, 1911, p. 156. 



