The Russellville Democrat., 1879-11-27
A NIAGARA PHENOMENON.
An Unprecedented Migration of Minnows from Lake Erie.
Cufalo Commercia


 Niagara river has this season offered some fine opportunities for the study of the maintainance of the equilibrium of animal life both on land andwater. 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 into almost solid banks of moving flesh' The shores of some little creeks, like those of Frenchman's Creek, emptying from the Canada shore into the Niagara, were actually strewn with countless numbers Of dead minnows which had been sufocated for want of oxygen in these narrow channels. The advent of the minnows attracted in turn, as might naturally be expected, a proportionately sized swarm of their destroyers, in the shape of the different sized species of pike. muscalonge, and black bass. The latter would be seen lying quietly in solid columns alongthe bottom near the shore, where the water. was suffi-s ciently shallow and transparant to per init full view of them. Fishermen were perplexed in despair, since they, would take bait of no kind no matter how temptingly displayed. Their stom- achs were fairly gorged with minnows, which could be captured without any effort whatever es6 A 'a. ss rAs asss % as
 Later on, when the main bulk of minnows disappeared without being fol- lowed by their enemies, the tablesswere turned, and bass fishing has never been. known to be as fine as it was toward the latter end of the summer Though the riveris no longer stocked with min- nows; as it was in the spring, the present amount probably exceeds that of any previous year, and has attracted later on another host. of their natural enemies, the winged toilers of the sea. Never be- fore has the surface of the green Mag ara exhibited such an animated display of glistening white focks of gulls and terms as in the present months. They have assembled by thousands, and lux uriate in immense abundance on their natural prey. Among them are some species never before observed here in any notable quantity or even single specimens We enumerate the kitti- wake gull, besides three species of terms; two of which are determinable as the black or common tern, while the other is dubious on account of it's immature plumage. They are congregated in large and separate focks,p and though occa- sionally lowering high over the river, may easily be Edeeoyed to come near the surface by throwing upon it some white 'b1ches of cotton or paper 4 good breech-loader will then make considera- ble havoc among them, as they generally remain quite long tune near any spot where one or more of their shot com rades floats upon the water.
 It is very easy to see, how black bass. and the various species of gulls and terms should be found in such great numbers where there is an abundance of their natural food. But a more mi mute knowledge, through close observ- ation and examination, is needed to de- termine the reason for the unsurpassed migration of the minnows. The solution of the problem probably hinges also up- on their peculiar microscopic food, which may have been affected by changed con ditions of the ordinary prevailing tenn perature or other similar influences of a physical nature.