HABITS OF THE BLACK BASS. 165 



they vary their diet with crawfish, frogs, mussels, and 

 water-snakes, until, attaining a weight of two pounds, they 

 will bolt any thing from an angle-worm to a young musk- 

 rat. 



Where food is plentiful they grow rapidly, reaching a 

 length of two inches in a few months after hatching, and 

 at a year old, will measure, at least, four inches. At two 

 years of age, they will be found from eight to twelve 

 inches in length, weighing about a pound, and will grow 

 nearly or quite a pound a year thereafter, until they attain 

 their maximum weight. 



They arrive at maturity in from two to three years, ac- 

 cording as the conditions for their growth were favorable 

 or otherwise. The maximum weight of the small-mouthed 

 form of the North and West may be said to be four or 

 five pounds, and of the large-mouthed form, from six to 

 eight pounds, though there are rare exceptions to this 

 rule. 



An instance, showing the rapid growth of Black Bass, 

 is related by Mr. Charles J. Pearson, at that time Fish 

 Warden for Morris County, New Jersey : He states that 

 in the fall of 1876, fifty Black Bass, measuring from two 

 and a half to four inches in length, were placed in D. L. 

 Miller's pond at Madison, Morris County, New Jersey. 

 On October 17th, 1877, about one year from the time of 

 putting them in, Mr. Miller had occasion to draw the 

 water down, for some repairs. He had the flume so ar- 

 ranged as to take any fish that might run out. Eleven 

 Bass were caught. They measured from ten to thirteen 

 inches in length, and were undoubtedly the same fish 

 which were put in the year before, as none of this species 

 of fish were ever known in the pond before. 



