70 THE SMALL-MOUTHED BASS 



The pertinacity with which the small-mouthed bass 

 guards his nest is often conspicuous in breeding ponds. Here 

 it is the custom, as described in another part of this paper, 

 to surround the nest by a cylindrical screen shortly before 

 the young fish are ready to leave it. The parent fish is ex- 

 cluded from the screen, while the young fry confined within 

 it are kept from scattering and may be readily had when 

 needed for shipment. The male fish now returns to the 

 nest after a little while and remains on guard outside the 

 screen. It is usual to see the screens thus guarded. In one 

 case an individual male was seen to continue guarding his 

 screen, swimming continually in a circle about it for six 

 days. During this time he was repeatedly seen attempting 

 to enter the screen by burrowing beneath it and by butting 

 it again and again with his head. 



When the eggs are hatched the young fish remain for some 

 days on the nest and then leave it, accompanied and guarded 

 by the male. The school of young fish now usually seeks 

 shallow water and may be found along shore. Here the 

 parent fish swims back and forth in a half circle outside his 

 school. This care of the school by the male is continued 

 until the young fish are from an inch to an inch and a quarter 

 in length. They then scatter and the parent fish leaves them. 



Both the eggs and the young fish have numerous enemies. 

 Various sorts of minnows, sunfish, bluegills and young bass 

 are ready to attack them during even a brief absence of the 

 male. Against these the presence of the male fish affords 

 a large measure of protection. 



It appears from the foregoing accounts that the chief 

 points in the process of spawning, as observed by Dr. Reig- 

 hard, are: 



1. The male fish prepares the nest himself, preferably 

 on coarse sand, gravel, or rock, and in a sheltered spot. 



2. The female comes to the nest of her own accord or 

 is driven there by the male. 



