Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-08
FOOD OF FOOD ISLES

America2
FOOD OF FOOD FISHES.
What ie Found In the Stomachs OF
Base, God, Shad and Mackerai.
Philadelphia Record.
Professor Rice, of Brooklyn, since
February "a has been making a study
Of the food Of the different varieties of
firth, In order better to determine the
proper time for close asona The
work Is carried on under the auspices
OF the Smithsonian institution and is
q new and important subject Of inves-
tigstion. Professor Rice said to a re.
porter Of The New York Herald:
81 am not only examining the
stomaohs of the fishes" said Professor
Rice, 'but also the ovaries and sperm
aries, In order to determine the gener.
alive ~ripeness In both sexes, 80 as to
get positive knowledge as to the
limits of the spawning season. In
making my researches I I'm careful to
note each specimen that l examine. 1
dot down In the first place the char.
scter, sex, size and weight Of the fish,
where 1t ID from, the date of capture
and the contents of Its stomach.
Should other fishes be It's food 1 also
examine the stomaehs of those that
are not too much decomposed. This
will determine the time of year when
fish In certain localities are most vora.
oious and likely to be caught by bait
or their presence looked for on certain
feeding grounds. Observations con.
corning the change Of food according
to season viii also be useful to the
fishermen, and whether the change of
the temperature of the water has any
thing to do with 1t. This will also &C.
quaint US with the knowledge of what
variety of food improves the flavor OF
the fish, and will also indicate whether
they feed or not during the spawning
season This and a great deal more
will unq%usstionsbly be the result Of
the present investigation"
SIT Ia asserted that nothing has
been found In the stomachs of the sal.
mon that are taken In the Canadian
rivers, where they 60 to deposit their
spawn. Is such the case2" was asked.
'It is impossible to tell" replied
the professor, ''for l doubt II one fish.
erman out of ten Thousand aver ex.
amines the stomachs of the fishes he
takes"
"But the hangers.on of old Sir
Iz,sk's creed are certainly credited
with opening the stomachs Of the trou,
they take and selecting their casts OF
files accordingly
"a few thorough and accomplished
anglers may do this, but what they
learn they generally guard as q close
secret. The world at large Ia not bene
fitted by these spasmodio investiga'
lions Of q few men. MOI do I believe
any record Of their observations hal
ever been kept."l
ave are as yet In the dark and lit.
| tie Is known about some of the varie
ties Of fishes," continued the professor
"One Is the striped bass. There 4
only one instance where ripe bass O
both sexes were found. This was il
North Carolina In 1879, the United
States fl ,h commission making the OBJ
servation, l have been paying specia
atter tion to the striped bass; indeed
all these observations are directed t,
those ishes that are In season. Unit
now 1t has always been supposed tina
male striped bass never grew to b.
over ten pounds In weight, and tina
they were always small In sizs. M,
observations, however, contradict al
the stories about the mail BAGS no
growing large. The frat bass I open
cd was o male weighing twenty an
one. quarter pounds; he was caught O
Croton Landing. On March 80
male bass was taken In the Mort
river, opposite Sing Sing, that weigh
ed thirty.one and q half POUNDS, an
yesterday I examined another NAL
from North Carolina which weighe
forty.si1 pounds.
"With one exception all the Btrll
ped bass I have examined, of whic
there has been a largo number, hav
furnished no evidence that they u.
Is food during their adult conditio
, anything but various kinds of otht
fishes, such as cells, bass of their ow
kind, sinners, white bait 9TH
young Of small ishes), alewives, he
ring and, without doubt, menhader
The exception mentioned was In
small bass, about six inches lon,
q found In the stomach of q large fema
I bass, Weighing forty.six pounds, take
at North Carolina early In April. I'll
. stomach of this small bass was near
d full # small shrimp and orustaceal
Of various kinds. An eel fftes
t inches long was also found In IL
d stomach of the large bass"
"When do the bass begin to feed
asked the reporter.
at Is not until the end Of Mar,
that they commenced to show tn
they had commenced to feed. Up
Is that time I found nothing In the
n stomachs ave a whitish, Jelly Iii
substance. Since then l have fou.
something In the stomach of almo
every one. 1t has not been dete
d mined whether they feed In the rive
q In winter or not"
n. "What Is their food at this time
A "Striped bass apparently follow ,
1t one kind of food and avoid feedil
a nromiscunualv