1913] 
Bnrrill, The Giant Midge , Chironomns plnmosus. 
153 
Forbes, S. A. 
1877. (Dee. 12) The Food of Illinois Fishes, pp. 71-86 in Bull. 
Ill. Sta. Lab. Nat. Hist. v. 1 (1876-1883), bull 2, art. 5 Chir- 
onomus spp. larvae as food of many fishes, spp. index in vol. 
(1880. Nov.) The Food of Fishes; Acanthopteri, pp. 18-65 in ib. 
bull. 3, art. 2, p. 23, Chironomns larvae “among- the most 
important elements of fish food in our waters, appearing- 
in abundance in the stomachs of a great variety of species.” 
(1880. Nov.) On the Food of Young Fishes, pp. 66-79 in ib., bull. 
3 , art. 3, p. 76, fish so often eat them, it “gives these trivial 
and neglected creatures (Chironomns spp. and related 
Dipt.) a prominent place among the most valuable animals 
of the state”; pp. 78-9. Chironomns larvfe, av. 2.90% of young 
fish. 
(1883. May) The Food of the Smaller Fresh-water Fishes, pp. 65-94 
in ib., bull. 6, art. 3, p. 90, Cyprinid family av. 33% insect 
food; of this 8% or y 4 is Chironomns larvae. 
(1883. May) The First Food of the Common Whitefish (Coregonus 
clueiformis Mitch.), pp. 95-109 in ib., bull. 6, art. 4. pp. 
101, 106, trace of Chironomns larvae. 
1890. (Apr... 1888) Studies of the Food of Fresh-water Fishes, pp. 
432-473 in ib., v. II (1884-8), art. 7, Chironomns larvae, av. 
11% of food of all Siluridae. 
1890. (July, 1888) Studies of the Food Delations of Fresh-water 
Fishes: A Summary and Discussion, pp. 475^538 in ib., art. 8, 
pp. 483-4, while not the food of brook trout, Chironomns 
family makes nearly 1/10 of food of all fishes studied. “They 
are most abundant in Phenacohius and Etheostoma, which 
g*enera have become especially adapted to the search for 
these insect forms in shallow rocky streams. Next I found 
the mmost generally in the pirate perch, the brook silver- 
sides, and the stickleback, in which they averaged 45%. 
They amounted to about 1/3 the food of fishes as large and 
important as the red horse and the river carp, and made 
nearly i/£ that of 51 buffalo fishes. They appear further in 
considerable quantities in the food of a number of the 
minnow family (NotJ’opis, Pimephales, etc.), which habitu¬ 
ally frequent the swift water of stony streams, but were 
curiously deficient in the small collection of miller’s thumbs 
(Cottidfg) which hunt for food in similar situations. The 
sunfishes eat but few of this important group, the average 
of the family being only 6%.” Further refs, not in extensive 
