266 FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



the nest is finished, the male seeks the female to induce her to enter 

 the nest, biting her gently and swimming across beneath her, 

 striking her as he passes. The eggs and milt are deposited with the 

 vents of the two sexes approximated. After the eggs are all laid, in 

 successive ovipositions, the male drives the female away, himself 

 remaining alone to guard the nest. Dr. Reighard has found that in 

 both this and the next species the male cares for the eggs till hatched, 

 and watches over the young till they are well grown. He found 

 the small-mouthed bass spawning in Michigan between the end of 

 April and the end of June. Nest-building was begun at a tempera- 

 ture of 60° Fahr., but the eggs were not laid till the water reached 

 62° to 65°. Tisdale states that it takes six years for a weight of 3 

 lb to be reached, growth continuing after that at about half a 

 pound a year till a weight of 6 lb is attained. 



Though practically unexcelled as a fresh-water game fish, this 

 species does not take the highest rank as food, being, in the words 

 of Dr. Henshall, "inferior to trout and whitefishes, and perhaps 

 even to pike and channel-cat." 



Artificial propagation of this and the next species by taking and 

 impregnating the eggs has not been successful. The eggs are not 

 stripped easily, and it is necessary to kill the male in order to get the 

 milt. Pond culture is resorted to with considerable success, the per- 

 centage of natural fertilizations in well-regulated ponds closely 

 approaching the percentage obtained by artificial means for species 

 best adapted to artificial culture. This high ratio is of course due 1<> 

 the fact that the parent guards the eggs. Pond culture has for 

 several years been in successful operation in Missouri and in Michi- 

 gan, and steps have lately been taken towards the establishment 

 of breeding ponds on the upper Fox River in Illinois. The eggs 

 of the species range in number from 2,000 to 10,000 per individual. 

 The fry will endure shipping long distances in the cool days of 

 spring or autumn or in midwinter. 



The small-mouthed bass, while taken in considerable numbers by 

 anglers in the northern part of Illinois, does not figure in the com- 

 mercial fisheries of this state. 



