﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  173 
  

  

  and 
  impregnated 
  attach 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  nest. 
  Then 
  

   commences 
  a 
  iiarental 
  watchfulness 
  worthy 
  of 
  imitation 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  

   some 
  higher 
  animals, 
  one 
  iish 
  hovering 
  immediately 
  over 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  

   maintaining 
  a 
  gentle 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  fins 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  keeping 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  free 
  from 
  sediment, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  acting 
  as 
  an 
  outer 
  sentinel, 
  

   patrolling 
  8 
  or 
  10 
  feet 
  away. 
  Botli 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  show 
  great 
  courage 
  

   when 
  guarding 
  their 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  fry. 
  A 
  rock 
  bass 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  

   to 
  leap 
  entirely 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  bite 
  viciously 
  at 
  an 
  attendant's 
  hand 
  

   when 
  moving 
  aside 
  the 
  grasses 
  sheltering 
  the 
  nest, 
  and 
  a 
  black 
  bass 
  

   when 
  guarding 
  its 
  nest 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  attack 
  and 
  kill 
  a 
  snake 
  three 
  

   times 
  its 
  own 
  length. 
  The 
  brightness 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  makes 
  the 
  parent 
  on 
  

   guard 
  easily 
  distinguishable 
  by 
  enemies, 
  like 
  the 
  fish-hawk 
  and 
  eagle, 
  

   but 
  this 
  danger 
  may 
  be 
  materially 
  lessened 
  by 
  planting 
  the 
  broader-leaf 
  

   water-lilies 
  near 
  the 
  nests 
  to 
  afford 
  shelter 
  when 
  in 
  danger. 
  

  

  Black 
  bass 
  begin 
  to 
  spawn 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  May, 
  while 
  farther 
  south 
  the 
  season 
  commences 
  as 
  

   early 
  as 
  March, 
  and 
  in 
  all 
  localities 
  it 
  is 
  later 
  in 
  deep 
  than 
  in 
  shallow 
  

   waters. 
  In 
  the 
  far 
  South, 
  in 
  waters 
  uniformly 
  warm, 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   time 
  may 
  not 
  depend 
  entirely 
  on 
  the 
  seasons. 
  The 
  period 
  lasts 
  about 
  

   two 
  months. 
  Many, 
  if 
  not 
  all, 
  discharge 
  only 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  eggs 
  at 
  

   one 
  spawning. 
  The 
  maturation 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  ovaries 
  is 
  never 
  fully 
  

   completed 
  at 
  one 
  time, 
  but 
  the 
  ripening 
  is 
  prolonged 
  and 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   done 
  at 
  intervals. 
  As 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  southern 
  Missouri 
  and 
  Illinois, 
  

   black 
  bass 
  frequently 
  spawn 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  following 
  the 
  spring 
  when 
  

   they 
  are 
  hatched, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  the 
  case; 
  and 
  farther 
  north 
  

   maturity 
  comes 
  later 
  in 
  life. 
  Bass 
  continue 
  to 
  yield 
  eggs 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  years, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  in 
  the 
  brood 
  ponds 
  at 
  Neosho 
  which 
  were 
  

   adults 
  when 
  first 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  station, 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  held 
  for 
  seven 
  

   years 
  and 
  are 
  still 
  productive, 
  though 
  less 
  so 
  than 
  formerly. 
  

  

  Kock 
  bass 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  produce 
  two 
  separate 
  broods 
  within 
  

   one 
  season 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  southern 
  Missouri, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  probably 
  true 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  basses. 
  At 
  Neosho 
  they 
  spawn 
  when 
  one 
  year 
  old. 
  

  

  EGGS 
  AND 
  FRY. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  differ 
  greatly 
  in 
  number 
  and 
  size, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  age 
  and 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  varying 
  generally 
  from 
  2,000 
  to 
  10,000 
  per 
  fish 
  and 
  from 
  

   80,000 
  to 
  100,000 
  per 
  quart; 
  17,000 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  

   mouth 
  "black 
  bass 
  weighing 
  2J 
  pounds, 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  7,000 
  to 
  the 
  

   pound 
  of 
  fish; 
  but 
  on 
  another 
  occasion 
  careful 
  count 
  of 
  the 
  mature 
  eggs 
  

   showed 
  only 
  2,674 
  to 
  the 
  pound 
  of 
  fish. 
  Wide 
  discrepancies 
  in 
  the 
  

   figures 
  maybe 
  sometimes 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  different 
  methods 
  of 
  count- 
  

   ing, 
  as 
  in 
  rejecting 
  or 
  counting 
  small 
  eggs 
  which 
  are 
  commencing 
  their 
  

   maturation 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  production. 
  The 
  rock-bass 
  egg 
  is 
  fully 
  three 
  

   times 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  bass, 
  and 
  the 
  fry 
  correspondingly 
  

   large. 
  

  

  The 
  varying 
  factor 
  of 
  initial 
  vitality 
  and 
  the 
  impossibility 
  of 
  equal- 
  

   izing 
  the 
  intensity 
  of 
  sunlight 
  render 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  determine 
  pre- 
  

  

  