THE SUNFISHES 



daily fishing diet, they prefer black bass angling 

 to that for the lordly salmon. In some north- 

 western waters, notably in those of Minnesota, 

 the large-mouthed species are said to have fight- 

 ing qualities somewhat similar to those of the 

 small-mouthed species. 



The methods and dates of introduction into N ew 

 England waters, and fishing for black bass, is so 

 minutely and ably described on subsequent pages 

 by an expert of the art, that we have only to deal 

 with the two species in a general and somewhat 

 technical manner. 



The small-mouthed black bass has many 

 common names, of which we find on record : 

 achigan, trout, Oswego bass, juniper, moss bass, 

 chub, Welshman, mountain trout (in Alabama), 

 marsh bass, river bass, rock bass, slough bass, 

 green bass, spotted bass, green perch, yellow 

 perch, black perch, and speckled hen, — eighteen 

 in all, and there are many others, equally inappro- 

 priate and confusing, existing all over the country. 

 The scientific baptismal title of the small- 

 mouthed is Micropterus dolo??iieu, the specific after 

 a Parisian mineralogist of that name. This title 

 was conferred upon the fish after it had suffered in 

 recognition under the weight of a mass of ichthic 

 nomenclature, from which Dr. Henshall for- 



I07 



