28o Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



Dr. Needham suggests that *' four native species, namely lake 

 trout, small-mouth blackbass, yellow perch, and bullheads, are the 

 ones to be fostered and encouraged as being perfectly adapted to the 

 conditions of the lake ; and these should be rigidly protected during 

 their respective spawning seasons. While the northern pike is 

 highly prized by some, it is not worthy of propagation or protection 

 because of its voracious fish-eating habits." (Italics the present 

 writer's.) Recommendation 4 is: "that the law for the protection 

 of great northern pike or ' pickerel ' be repealed." 



Dr. Needham says that undoubtedly the most extensive and 

 exclusive fish eater in the lake is the northern pike or " pickerel " 

 but that no studies of pike food were possible at Lake George 

 because the stomachs of all but one that were examined were 

 empty. He stated, however, that the records of examinations 

 extending over many years at Cayuga Lake showed them to 

 be almost exclusively fish eaters. In another place he says : " the 

 pike should probably hardly be considered an enemy of the lake 

 trout, and perhaps not even a serious competitor, for it keeps 

 to surface haunts and hardly invades the grounds of the trout in 

 deep water. But it certainly is both an enemy and a competitor of 

 the shore fishes ; doubtless it eats mainly herbivorous shore fishes 

 like shiners, that are most easily captured ; but it doubtless eats 

 the game fishes as well when it can catch them." 



Superficially considered, a fish sometimes appears to be " his own 

 worst "enemy " in that it is addicted to cannibalism. In some 

 instances it is very probable that fish eat their own kind because 

 they are driven to it by starvation. But there are several 

 known instances of fish devouring the eggs of the same species on 

 the spawning beds. Trout, salmon, whitefish and others have been 

 observed to do this habitually in some localities. In the cases of 

 trout and salmon it is stated that it is usually the young fish which 

 lurk around the spawning beds looking for fresh eggs. But in the 

 case of whitefish the present writer once found gravid as well as 

 spent female whitefish with their stomachs distended with white- 

 fish eggs (Evermann. '05, p. 103-104). 



There is a great need for careful study of the food habits of 

 fish eating birds. Two authors who have discussed this subject are 

 Warren ('97) and Taverner ('ii'5), the latter describing the salmon 

 eating habits of the double-crested cormorant. The kingfisher, 

 although frequently condemned, has never been carefully studied. 



The parasites of Oneida Lake fishes have received preliminary 

 study by the N. Y. State College of Forestry cooperating with the 

 U. S. Bureau of Fisheries (Pratt, '19, '19a, '23; Van Cleave, '23). 

 The problem of these parasitic diseases deserves much more attention 

 than it has received in the past. 



Fish Planting In Public Waters. Mr. W. C. Adams of the 

 Alassachusetts Commission sa}s it is a common experience to find 

 that in spite of the good intentions of the receivers, many consign- 

 ments of young fish, which have cost money and great labor to rear, 

 are entirely wasted through improper planting. 



