PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 43 



quently known as the wall-eyed pike, inhabits the Great Lake 

 region, and has been introduced into Massachusetts by means 

 of eggs and fry furnished by the United States Bureau of 

 Fisheries. Spawning occurs in April and May, and the period 

 of hatching consumes from fourteen to thirty days, depending 

 on the temperature of the water. Although under natural con- 

 ditions only a small percentage of the two to three hundred 

 thousand eggs laid by a single female successfully hatch, under 

 artificial conditions the number hatched in the MacDonald 

 hatching jars is enormously increased. The fish is one of the 

 finest game and food fishes in the United States. It has been 

 successfully placed in the Connecticut and Merrimac rivers, and 

 at the present time large quantities of fry are being annually 

 hatched at the Palmer hatchery from eggs received from the 

 United States hatchery at Swanton, Vt. 



Bullhead. The bullhead or horned pout (Ameiurus nebulosus} 

 has a wide distribution, and is found in nearly all Massachusetts 

 ponds where the conditions are satisfactory for its existence. 

 It is usually to be found near the bottom, in muddy, weedy 

 ponds, where it will take practically any kind of bait. The old 

 fish accompanies the young for some time after they are hatched 

 in order to protect them. At the end of the third year the fish 

 is fully matured. This species has been placed in many ponds, 

 particularly in the north central part of the State, where it is 

 popular among the anglers for its excellent flesh, although no 

 extensive propagation has as yet been tried. It is a hardy fish, 

 and readily yields itself to pond propagation. 



Black Bass. Two species of black bass, the small and the 

 large mouth varieties (Micropterus dolomieu and M. salmoides}, 

 were introduced and are now commonly found in Massachu- 

 setts. The small-mouth black bass, which is reared at the 

 Palmer hatchery, is the more important and is more satisfac- 

 tory, except for muddy ponds. This species is indigenous to 

 the upper St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes and the basin of the 

 Mississippi. It does not grow as large as the large-mouth, and 

 frequents swiftly moving streams and clear lakes. It spawns 

 on shallow, gravelly bottoms, the eggs incubating in from 

 seven to fourteen days. At the hatchery the bass are kept in 

 ponds, where suitable facilities are offered for the fish to nest. 



