98 Fish and Game Warden. [Bull. No. 1. 



August they may be seen swimming everywhere in the pond, 

 not necessarily in schools. However, large bunches, ranging 

 in size from a few to many thousands, may frequently be seen 

 feeding along the shores where there are good growths of 

 water plants. When frightened each one will make for shelter 

 in deep water independent of the movements of any of the 

 others. In other words, at this age and stage of growth each 

 young bass is looking out for itself. 



Observations on Hatching, Growing and Development of the 



Young Fish. 



We have already stated that the old bass or parent fish 

 guards the nest continually and spends all the time in which 

 intruders are not being chased away fanning the eggs with 

 its fins. This seems to be absolutely necessary, because ob- 

 servations made on various nests go to show that unless the 

 eggs are kept perfectly clean with fresh currents of water they 

 will turn white and will not hatch. When these white eggs 

 are examined with a microscope it is seen that they are 

 affected with a disease, apparently white fungus; and a few 

 diseased eggs in a nest cause other eggs that touch them to 

 become diseased, and in a short time many of the eggs will go 

 bad. If for any reason the old bass deserts the nest, the eggs 

 left within the deserted nest without parental care will, as a 

 rule, if not stolen by other fish, go bad and turn white within 

 two or three days. 



We have performed some experiments by driving the old 

 bass away or catching it while the eggs were in the nest. Un- 

 der such circumstances small sunfish or bunches of minnows, if 

 present, will in a very short time take all the eggs. The con- 

 stant care which the old parent bass gives to the nest and eggs 

 seems to be necessary in order to secure a hatch of young fish. 



Two years ago we found a bass nest in the Ninnescah river 

 near the Hatchery ponds. Our near approach frightened the 

 fish away and in a very short time there was a bunch of min- 

 nows over the nest. After the minnows had found the nest 

 we retreated, and the old bass returned, to find, however, that 

 many of the eggs had been taken. 



The above observations would indicate that to secure a good 

 crop of young fish the old papa and mamma bass should not 

 only be left alone, but should receive as much protection as 

 possible from enemies and from intruders during the mating 

 and spawning season. 



It is our further observation that the young bass, or "fry" 

 as they are usually called by a fish culturist, are very tender 

 and about as incapable of taking care of themselves as any 

 young fish we know of. Only this spring we observed schools 

 of large-mouthed minnows dash into bunches of young bass 

 and devour the young fish as fast as they could grab them. 



