Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1879-11-27
A Phenomenon in Niagara River.

! Niagara river has this season offered some
fine opportunities for the study of the main
telance of the equilibrium of animal life
on both land and water. Early spring was
marked by an unprecedented migration of
minnOws from Lake Erie into the Niagara
river. They arrived by millions, and
formed here and there almost solid banks
OF moving fish. The shores of some little
creeks like those OF Frenchman's creek,
emptying from the Canada shore into the
Niagara, were actually strewn with count
less numbers OF dead minnows, which had
been sufocated for want Of oxygen in these
narrow channels. The advent of the min
nows attracted in turn, as might naturally
be expected, proportionately sized swarm
Of their destroyers, in shape of the different
species Of pike, muscalonge and black bass
The latter could be seen lying quietly in
solid column along the bottoms near the
shores, where the water was sufficiently
shallow and transparent TO permit a full
view of them. Fishermen were perplexed
and in despair, since they would take bait
OF no kind, no matter how temptingly dis
played. Their stemachs were fairly gorged
with minnows, which could be captured
without any effort whatever.
Later on, when the main bulk of minnOws
disappeared without being followed by their
enemies, the tables were turned, and bass
fishing never has been known to be as fine
as it was toward tho latter end of the sum-
mer. Though the river is no longer stocked
with minnows as it was in the spring, the
present amount probably still exceeds that
OF any previous year, and has attracted later
on another host of their natural enemies,
the winged toilers of the sea. Never before
has the surface of the green Niagara exhib-
tied such an animated display of glistening
white flocks of gulls and terms as III tho
present months. They have assembled by
thousands, and dluXuriate in immense abund-
ance on their natural prey. Among them
are some species never before observed
here in any notable quantity, or even single
specimens. We enumerate the Kittiwake
gull, besides three species Of terms two of
which are determinable as the black and
common tern. while the other is dubious on
account of its immature plumage. They
are congregated In large and separate focks
and though occasionally lowering high over
the river, may easily be decoyed to come
near the surface by throwing upon it some
white punches of cotton or paper. A good
breech-leader will then make considerable
havoc among them, as they generally re-
main quite long time near any spot where
one or more of their shot comrades float up
on the water. 1t is verv easy to see how
black bass and the various species of gulls
and terms should found in such great nnm-
bers, where there is an unusual abundance
of their natural food; but more minute
knowledge, through close observation and
examination, is needed TO determine the
reasons for the unsurpassed spring migration
of the minnows. The solution of the prob
lem probably hings also upon their peculiar
microscopic food, whicn may have been af-
fected by changed conditions of the ordin-
arily temperature of the water, or other
similar influences of physical nature.