80 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 67 



Animal life formed 88 percent of the food with seeds of aquatic 

 plants forming most of the balance. Important animal foods were 

 sunfish (Centrarchidae) and perch (Percidae), grasshoppers and 

 locusts, and aquatic insects (mostly Belostomatidae, Hydrophilidae, 

 and Haliplidae) . 



PATUXENT RIVER, MD. 



Six stomachs were collected in fresh tidal-river marshes along the 

 Patuxent River in southern Maryland in early fall between 1923 and 

 1958, by O. J. Tremis, C. H. M. Barrett, and unknown rail bird 

 hunters. 



An interesting assortment of materials was found in this small 

 series, including killifish {Fundulus heteroclitus) ^ crayfish, dragonfly 

 nymphs, snails {Amnicola sp.), grasshoppers, and crickets; leaves of 

 a bulrush (Scirpus sp.) and rice-cutgrass ; seeds of dotted smartweed, 

 halberd-leaved tearthumb, arrow-leaved tearthumb {Polygonum 

 sagittatum)^ burreed {Sparganium eurycarpum) ^ water parsnip 

 {Sium suave) ^ silky dogwood {Comus anhorrmm)^ and wild cherry. 



BEAVER DAM, WIS. 



Eleven stomachs w^ere collected in various marsh types during 

 summer and fall, 1889-1908, by W. D. Snyder and C. F. Zimmerman. 



Crayfish constituted over 90 percent by volume of the food in 6 

 stomachs and occurred in 9 of 11. Snails, soldier flies {Odontomyia 

 sp.), dragonfly larvae, a mollusk {Stagnicola palmtris)^ grasshop- 

 pers, and a fish (Etheostominae) were major items in the other four 

 stomachs. 



CHICAGO, ILL. 



Five stomachs were collected during spring (April-May), 1912-17, 

 by G. Eifrig and K. W. Kahmann. Crayfish were the major items 

 (50 percent plus by volume) in four of the stomachs, and dragonfly 

 nymphs were the major items (55 percent by volume) in the fifth. 

 Stalks of a bulrush {Scirpus sp.) were important (40 percent by 

 volume) in one stomach, and horsefly larvae were common (42 

 percent by volume) in another. 



Two stomachs were collected during the summers (July) of 1878 

 and 1915 by S, A. Forbes and K. W. Kahmann. Frogs ( Rana sp.) were 

 the most important food (54 percent by volume) in one, and larvae of 

 soldier flies (94 percent by volume) in the other. 



Crayfish were a major item (45 percent plus by volume) in each of 

 the three stomachs collected in the fall (September-October), one in 

 1913 and two in 1915 by K. W. Kahmann. Frogs {Rana sp.) were im- 

 portant (51 percent by volume) in one stomach. 



