﻿AQUATIC 
  INSECTS 
  IN 
  THE 
  ADIRONDACKS 
  395 
  

  

  « 
  

  

  also, 
  than 
  specialists 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  willing 
  to 
  admit. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  para- 
  

   mount 
  economic 
  value 
  also, 
  for 
  it 
  forms 
  the 
  basis 
  oi 
  nearly 
  all 
  intelligent 
  

   economic 
  procedure. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  yet 
  know 
  how 
  the 
  teeming 
  aquatic 
  life 
  

   of 
  our 
  streams 
  and 
  lakes 
  and 
  ponds 
  may 
  be 
  manipulated 
  as 
  terrestrial 
  life 
  

   is 
  manipulated 
  to 
  serve 
  human 
  needs, 
  but 
  this 
  we 
  may 
  learn 
  in 
  due 
  

   time, 
  and, 
  when 
  we 
  have 
  learned 
  it, 
  the 
  accurate 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  

   habits 
  of 
  aquatic 
  species 
  of 
  insects 
  will 
  be 
  as 
  necessary 
  then 
  as 
  such 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  economic 
  terrestrial 
  species 
  is 
  now. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  pages 
  contain 
  new 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  many" 
  

   species 
  — 
  occasionally 
  on 
  groups 
  of 
  species. 
  These 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  under 
  

   the 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  groups 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  part 
  3 
  of 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  Food 
  relations 
  of 
  insects 
  and 
  fishes. 
  It 
  was 
  planned 
  from 
  the- 
  

   beginning 
  that 
  we 
  should 
  study 
  fish 
  food, 
  if 
  the 
  opportunity 
  offered 
  for 
  

   making 
  a 
  real 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  knowledge 
  of 
  that 
  subject. 
  

   When, 
  through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  fish 
  commission, 
  we 
  were 
  given 
  

   working 
  quarters 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  hatchery, 
  we 
  were 
  the 
  more 
  desirous 
  

   of 
  attacking 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  problems 
  which 
  scientific 
  fish 
  culture 
  needs 
  to- 
  

   have 
  solved 
  ; 
  what 
  problems, 
  it 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  a 
  little 
  difficult 
  to 
  decide. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  all 
  animals 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  principal 
  objects 
  to 
  be 
  

   sought: 
  i) 
  protection 
  for 
  the 
  young, 
  and 
  2) 
  forage. 
  Past 
  triumphs 
  of 
  

   fish 
  culture 
  have 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  mastery 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  in 
  securing 
  the 
  

   first 
  of 
  these, 
  the 
  second 
  has 
  scarcely 
  been 
  seriously 
  undertaken. 
  

   While 
  extensive 
  food 
  studies 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Forbes 
  and 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  others, 
  from 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  learned 
  in 
  general 
  terms 
  what 
  

   fishes 
  eat, 
  still 
  there 
  is 
  hardly 
  a 
  fish 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  may 
  say 
  we 
  know 
  what 
  

   species 
  it 
  eats, 
  at 
  what 
  age, 
  at 
  what 
  season, 
  in 
  what 
  situations, 
  witb 
  

   what 
  choice 
  of 
  food. 
  And 
  so 
  little 
  are 
  the 
  essential 
  features 
  of 
  good 
  

   foraging 
  ground 
  understood 
  that 
  each 
  planting 
  of 
  fry 
  in 
  a 
  new 
  place 
  is 
  

   still 
  largely 
  an 
  expeiiment. 
  

  

  So 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  any 
  new 
  study 
  of 
  fish 
  food 
  should 
  include 
  the 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  feeding 
  grounds, 
  feeding 
  habits, 
  choice 
  of 
  food 
  offered, 
  and 
  

   conditions 
  that 
  make 
  for 
  the 
  continuance 
  and 
  possible 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  

   food 
  supply. 
  The 
  two 
  smaller 
  propagating 
  ponds 
  at 
  Saranac 
  Inn, 
  Bone 
  

   and 
  Little 
  Green 
  seemed 
  to 
  offer 
  an 
  excellent 
  opportunity 
  for 
  contrasting 
  

   conditions 
  relative 
  to 
  these 
  points. 
  Bone 
  pond 
  has 
  been 
  well 
  stocked 
  

   with 
  brook 
  trout 
  for 
  some 
  years, 
  while 
  Little 
  Green, 
  after 
  numerous 
  

   annual 
  plantings, 
  has 
  remained 
  as 
  barren 
  of 
  trout 
  as 
  ever. 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  earlier 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  some 
  random 
  collections 
  of 
  food 
  

   were 
  made 
  from 
  trout 
  caught 
  in 
  gill 
  nets 
  set 
  for 
  suckers 
  ; 
  but 
  not 
  till 
  

   August 
  was 
  there 
  opportunity 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  studies 
  outlined 
  above, 
  and 
  

  

  