;7o 



REPORT OF THE 



The colors of this species vary a good deal in different individuals, ranging from 

 brown to green or blue. They are frequently infested by small parasites which 

 lodge just beneath the skin, covering their sides and fins with blue dots, giving the 

 fishes the appearance of having received a dose of small shot. Like its larger rela- 

 tive, the tautog, its natural food consists of crustaceans and mollusks, which are 

 obtained on or about submerged rocks. 



Tl)e sSanfisI). 



The sunfish or pumpkin-seed is well known to every boy angler in the Eastern 

 and Middle States. What a handsome little fellow he is with his brownish-green 

 mottled sides, yellow belly, streaks of brilliant blue on the sides of his head and the 

 black spot edged with vermilion at the tip of the gill cover. During the summer 

 months the circular light sandy nests of this fish may be seen along the margins of 

 our ponds and lakes, and one or two of the adult fishes are usually to be seen in 

 each nest guarding the eggs. These eggs are attached to small pebbles in the nest, 

 and so bold is the parent fish in protecting them that it will sometimes bite one's 

 fingers if held near the nest. 



The food of the sunfish is aquatic insects and larvae. While quietly sitting in a 

 boat among the lily pads in some sheltered cove one may sometimes hear sounds 

 somewhat resembling the smacking of lips. These sounds are made by the sunfish as 

 he smacks the insects which constitute his food from the underside of the lily pads. 



As a food fish this species is not held in very high regard, its small size and the 

 trouble of preparation probably having more to do with its lack of favor than the 

 taste of its flesh. It is interesting to stand knee deep in the clear quiet water of the 

 pond and watch the pugnacious little sunfishes sport about in their nests and drive 

 away the fishes who would doubtless make a meal in a few moments of the entire 

 litter of eggs. When the young sunfishes are able to take care of themselves they 

 abandon the nests and may frequently be seen in scattered schools along the mar- 

 gins of the pond. 



Tt)e C31)eepsl)ead. 



A fish deservedly celebrated both for the excellence of its flesh and its gamy 

 resistance to capture is the sheepshead. Its name was doubtless suggested by its 

 stout and broad front teeth with which it cuts from the rocks the shells which 

 largely constitute its food. 



Prof. Theodore Gill in writing of this fish says : " The sheepshead occurs along 

 the entire Eastern coast from Southern Florida to Cape Cod as well as in the Gulf 



