BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 221 



26. -THE AMERICAN BLACK BASS." 



By ItlAX VON DEM BORNE. 



1. — Its successful introduction in Germany. 



From accounts which I had read, both in American and English pub- 

 lications, it appeared that the fish which in North America is known 

 by the name of "black bass" possesses qualities which made it in the 

 highest degree desirable for me to obtain some of these fish, and to 

 make the attempt to raise them here. This desire became still stronger 

 when the well-known fish-culturist, Mr. Fred. Mather, of New York, 

 wrote me under date of the 31st October, 1881 : " Why do you not intro- 

 duce the black bass in your lakes, as is done in England % It is as gamy 

 when on the hook as the salmon." 



In March, 1882, therefore, I asked Mr. Mather, and Prof. Spencer F. 

 Baird, of Washington, United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisher- 

 ies, to aid me in this matter, and from both these gentlemen I received 

 the kindest promises. Professor Baird wrote to Mr. E. G. Blackford, in 

 New York, and Mr. Mather promised to have some of these fish caught in 

 Greenwood Lake, about 50 miles from New York City, located partly in the 

 State of New York and partly in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Mather 

 did not deem it advisable, however, to attempt the conveyance of these 

 fish during the warm season and without a person to accompany them 

 during the voyage. In the beginning of August he caught a consider- 

 able number in Greenwood Lake, and he informed me, at the end of Oc- 

 tober, that he had 20 large fish and about 50 small ones ready for me. 

 They were kept in the fish-tanks of Mr. E. G. Blackford, Fulton mar- 

 ket, New York City, until the month of February last, when they were 

 intrusted to the care of Mr. G. Eckardt, jr., of Lubbiuchen, who was 

 just returning to Germany after a stay of several years in the United 

 States. To the care and management of that gentleman I owe it that 

 all these fish arrived here alive and well. The voyage lasted from the 

 17th to the 27th of February, the fish being conveyed by the steamer 

 Elbe, which had previously to this successfully carried a number of 

 live fish to and from America. There were delivered to Mr. Eckardt, 

 at New York, 7 black bass of the small-mouthed variety, 25 to 31 cen- 

 timeters long; 45 of the large-mouthed variety, 7 to 13£ centimeters long; 

 and 1 small Perca fluviatilis, which seems to differ somewhat from our 

 perch. The large fish were distributed in 2 barrels, each having a ca- 

 pacity of about 500 liters, whilst the small ones were placed in 2 barrels 

 of about 200 and 250 liters capacity. These barrels were not quite filled. 

 The sea was rough, so that Mr. Eckardt had some trouble in taking 



* << 



Der Amerikanische Schivarz-Barsch." From Circular No. 2, 1883, of the Deutsche 

 Fischerei-Verein, Berlin, April 30, 1883. Translated from the German hy Herman 

 Jacobsox. 



