Lepomis macrochirus (Rafinesque): Stations W-3, G-3, G-4, G-5, C-3, C-5, E-1, E-2 (C-131, C-132, C-133).
The bluegill was, in all cases, a minor constituent in the fish fauna. No clear pattern of habitat preference can be deduced. In the Verdigris River at Independence (collection AM-53, August 22, 1956) bluegills were common in quiet pools and coves below a low-water dam. Moore and Paden (1950:91) note that L. macrochirus prefers quiet waters and Hubbs and Lagler (1947:94) state that it is "generally restricted to the quieter pools."
The bluegill is widely-stocked in impoundments of the area treated here.
Aplodinotus grunniens (Rafinesque): Stations C-4, E-2.
The dearth of stations from which the freshwater drum is reported may indicate difficulty in taking this species with seines, rather than scarcity. Both collections were at downstream stations. At station C-4 three half-grown drum were taken. Fishermen take "drum" at least as far upstream as station C-5 on Big Caney River. In the Elk River one specimen was taken in a 20-foot seine below a dam at Elk Falls.
FISHES OF DOUBTFUL OR POSSIBLE OCCURRENCE
In addition to the species listed above, the following species have been reported nearby and may occur within the area surveyed.
Lepisosteus productus (Cope)—This gar has not been reported from Kansas. It has been taken at several points in the northern half of Oklahoma and as far west as Canton Reservoir by Buck and Cross (1951). A specimen of the spotted gar was taken by Elkin (1954:28) in Salt Creek in Osage County, Oklahoma.
Polyodon spathula (Walbaum)—The paddlefish has never been reported from the Arkansas River system in Kansas. Several reports by fishermen were traced by the writer, but authentication was not achieved. One mounted specimen was examined in a sporting goods store in Arkansas City. This fish was said to have been taken on the Arkansas River south of Arkansas City but information on the date and method of capture were vague. Mr. Darrell Wheat of Arkansas City reported taking four paddlefish below a dam at Oxford, Kansas, in 1948 and 1949.