186 BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS. 



Every attempt that has been made, intelligently, to stock 

 suitable waters with the Black Bass, has been crowned 

 with signal success, which, unfortunately, has not been 

 the case with the introduction of other game and food- 

 fishes. The praiseworthy efforts that have hitherto been 

 made to introduce the Salmon and Brook Trout, even in 

 streams formerly inhabited by them, have either totally 

 failed, or the results, in a majority of instances, have not 

 been at all satisfactory ; nor does it seem, now, as though 

 these efforts will ever prove successful, owing to causes 

 which I have mentioned elsewhere. 



Streams which are necessarily obstructed by dams — even 

 when the most approved fishways are provided — or whose 

 waters are polluted by the refuse of manufactories, can 

 never be successfully stocked with the salmonids ; but the 

 Black Bass seems to thrive wonderfully well in spite of 

 these and other disadvantages. 



From what has been said in regard to their habits, it 

 will readily be seen that there is no necessity for hatching 

 Black Bass artificially, in the manner practiced with the 

 Salmon, Trout, or Shad, nor would the method be as suc- 

 cessful, for reasons well known to fish culturists. 



The Salmonidce of the Eastern United States, with the 

 exception of the grayling, prepare their beds and deposit 

 their spawn late in the fall, or early winter. This being 

 accomj)]ished, all further interest in the procreation of 

 their species, for the time, ceases; the eggs are left to them- 

 selves, and such as escape being devoured by their nu- 

 merous enemies are hatched in from two to four months, 

 according to species and temperature of water. The 

 young are provided with a yolk-sack, which nourishes 

 them for a period of from twenty-five to forty-five days, 



