455 



The nests are fashioned with Cfveat care hv the female, sand and silt being 

 fanned out from between the pebbles l)y the fins, and other objects removed by 

 the mouth ; or if the nests are on muddy oround, as is occasionally the case, they 

 may be paved with sticks and leaves. The male then j<.ins the female, and bites 

 and presses out the roe (which may amount to a quarter of her wei!T:iit) while she 

 lies on her side, an operation lastinj^ two or three days Thereafter the male 

 scatters the milt over the eorrrs, and both parents stay by the nest preventinir the 

 approach of spawn-eaters durin<>- the eight to ten days required for the hatching 

 process, and subsequently protect the fry, covering the nest and aerating the 

 water in it with their fins for the three or four days during whicli the young 

 remain in the nest befoie making off for the deep water. In spite of the vigi- 

 lance of the parents many de|)redators, such as frogs and suntish, get opportunities 

 of making havoc with the fry. 



By the end of the first year the fish are foui* inches long, and are mature at 

 two years, when they measure from eight to twelve inches in length, but spawn 

 much later than older individuals. They gain about a pound a year in weight 

 thereafter, till they reach the limit of weight of the adult, which is from six to 

 eight pounds for the large-mouthed species and four to five for the small- 

 mouthed. 



Of the other members of the same family there may be mentioned the 

 Grass or Calico Bass, (Pomoxf/s sparoi'les), the ilnr.k Bass or Red Eye {Am^iloplites 

 rupestris), and the common Sunfish, {L'-pomis yibhofius.) 



The first of these is distinguished by its very long anal fin, (the formula is 

 D. VII or VIII, 15 ; A. VI, J 7 or LS,) and occurs in quiet, clear ponds, with 

 grassy bottoms to which its colour is assimilated It attains occasionally a weight 

 of two pounds, but is not such a game fish as the [(receding. The remaining 

 species are of smaller size, the Rock Bass differing from the Siinfish in. its larger 

 toothed mouth, and in having six instead of three anal spines. 



All the Centrarchidse spawn in the sirring like the Bass, and seem to have 

 the samo habits of looking after the fry. There appear to be four or five species 

 of Sunfish (Lepomis) within the Province, but their distribution is not well 

 understood. 



Unlike the preceding families the Serranfd.'E constitute a characteristically 

 marine group, and there are only a few forms which live in bracki.sh or fiesh 

 water. Both of the species which have been re[)orted from Ontario belong to 

 the genus Roccus, viz., the Striped Bas.s, (rock-tish of the Atlantic coast) lioccus 

 lineatus, and the White Bass, lioccus chrysops, an exclusively fresh-water form. 



The former can hardly be regarded as a native of the Province; it ascends 

 the St. Lawrence as far as Quebec, and has been taken at the mouth of the 

 Niagara River, but is essentially a brackish water form, and is regarded as the 

 best marine game-fi-^h. The hitter is, on the other hand, common in the Great 

 Lake Region, and attains a weight of fi'om one to three pounds. They were 

 formerly still commoner in Lake Erie, s ) as to be of comuiercial value and uot only 

 of interest to the sportsman ; their disapp^arauce is probably due to the multipli- 

 cation of pound-nets, but is not regretted by fisherman as they were very de- 

 structive to whitefish spawn. 



