﻿170 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  the 
  boat 
  is 
  a 
  ring 
  through 
  which 
  a 
  stake 
  is 
  driven 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  

   pond 
  to 
  be 
  worked. 
  The 
  vegetation 
  is 
  raked 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  small 
  

   lots, 
  and 
  unloaded 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  with 
  a 
  pitchfork. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  promptly- 
  

   removed 
  from 
  the 
  bank, 
  as 
  it 
  will 
  rot 
  very 
  fast 
  and 
  its 
  presence 
  is 
  

   objectionable. 
  

  

  NESTS 
  AND 
  NEST-BUILDING. 
  

  

  Whenever 
  the 
  spawning 
  period 
  occurs, 
  whether 
  early 
  or 
  late, 
  ample 
  

   warning 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  nests, 
  which 
  are 
  built 
  by 
  

   the 
  mated 
  fish, 
  sometimes 
  working 
  in 
  company 
  and 
  sometimes 
  sepa- 
  

   rately. 
  The 
  nests 
  are 
  ordinarily 
  built 
  in 
  gravel, 
  brushed 
  into 
  neat 
  

   circular 
  piles 
  18 
  inches 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  are 
  usually 
  found 
  in 
  

   water 
  from 
  18 
  inches 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  deep^ 
  though 
  not 
  infrequently 
  in 
  much 
  

   deeper 
  water 
  and 
  sometimes 
  in 
  water 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  depth. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  proper 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  newly 
  built 
  spawning-pond 
  clean 
  

   gravel, 
  ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  a 
  buckshot 
  to 
  a 
  hickory 
  nut, 
  is 
  arranged 
  

   in 
  small 
  flat 
  heaps 
  about 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  banks 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  ice 
  

   is 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  sj)awning 
  season, 
  and, 
  if 
  well 
  

   located, 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  through 
  several 
  seasons 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  season. 
  Gravel 
  probably 
  possesses 
  no 
  advantage, 
  of 
  itself, 
  

   over 
  a 
  hard 
  clay 
  bed 
  except 
  that 
  it 
  presents 
  more 
  surface 
  within 
  a 
  given 
  

   area 
  for 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  attach 
  themselves 
  to; 
  but 
  if 
  gravel 
  of 
  suitable 
  size 
  

   is 
  to 
  be 
  had 
  the 
  bass 
  usually 
  select 
  it, 
  and 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  dirty 
  it 
  may 
  

   be, 
  or 
  how 
  overgrown 
  with 
  moss 
  and 
  algai, 
  they 
  clean 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  caudal 
  

   fin 
  and 
  tail 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  bright 
  as 
  if 
  every 
  particle 
  had 
  been 
  polished 
  

   with 
  a 
  brush, 
  often 
  using 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  mouth 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  larger 
  

   stones 
  from 
  the 
  nest. 
  On 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  liiver 
  and 
  in 
  Texas, 
  however, 
  

   black 
  bass 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  on 
  mud. 
  

  

  Some 
  bass 
  build 
  several 
  nests 
  in 
  a 
  season 
  and 
  are 
  compelled 
  to 
  remove 
  

   a 
  comparatively 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  rough 
  and 
  jagged 
  material, 
  yet 
  very 
  

   few 
  wounded 
  or 
  abraded 
  bass 
  are 
  cajitured. 
  At 
  Neosho 
  the 
  same 
  bass 
  

   have 
  been 
  observed 
  at 
  nest-building 
  for 
  seven 
  years 
  without 
  showing 
  a 
  

   torn 
  or 
  worn 
  caudal 
  or 
  anal 
  fin. 
  Trout, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  wear 
  their 
  

   caudal 
  fins 
  and 
  tails 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  bone 
  in 
  their 
  efforts, 
  and 
  often 
  die 
  in 
  

   consequence. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  wounds 
  on 
  the 
  trout 
  at 
  spawning 
  time 
  are 
  

   due 
  as 
  much 
  to 
  fighting 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  wear 
  and 
  tear 
  of 
  nest-building; 
  and 
  

   ttie 
  bass 
  also 
  are 
  hard 
  fighters. 
  

  

  The 
  proximity 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   pond 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fish. 
  They 
  are 
  sometimes 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  feet 
  

   apart, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  spawning-pond 
  of 
  the 
  Michigan 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  

   having 
  only 
  108 
  square 
  feet 
  of 
  surface 
  and 
  containing 
  30 
  adult 
  fish, 
  

   there 
  were 
  8 
  nests. 
  If 
  the 
  nests 
  are 
  placed 
  near 
  the 
  banks, 
  in 
  water 
  

   from 
  18 
  inches 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  deep, 
  the 
  entire 
  jjrocess 
  of 
  spawning 
  and 
  

   incubation 
  is 
  easily 
  observed 
  and 
  the 
  fry 
  can 
  be 
  more 
  conveniently 
  

   secured 
  and 
  transferred 
  to 
  nursery-ponds 
  at 
  the 
  proper 
  time. 
  The 
  larger 
  

   fish 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  select 
  deeper 
  water, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  decline 
  

   a 
  clean 
  lot 
  of 
  gravel, 
  m 
  water 
  3 
  feet 
  deep 
  and 
  8 
  feet 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  

  

  