Forbes. — Survey of Illinois River 85 



the subject; and when we hear of lightning killing fish in the future, 

 the information in this paper will enable us to give more reasonable 

 information on the subject. 



We have prepared a bulletin primarily for the people of Kansas, 

 on "Ponds, Pond Fish and Pond Fish Culture." Part I on "Ponds" 

 and Part II on "Pond Fish" are already published. Any of you gentle- 

 men can receive these bulletins and have your names placed on the 

 mailing list. We will send them to you if we can secure your correct 

 addresses. If you do not receive them please let us know. 



We have made some observations that have been recorded in these 

 bulletins. The observations include some notes on rock bass that were 

 spawning near the shore, where the swamp grass hung over near the 

 places where the fish spawned. Many of these nests were only a foot 

 from the shore in water not more than six or eight inches deep; and 

 a very considerable number of these rock bass made nests where more 

 or less dead vegetation such as grass and leaves existed. The fish 

 would hollow out a place and deposit their eggs on the dead leaves, 

 grass, etc., but only a small percentage of the eggs hatched. In fact, 

 in some instances all the eggs would be covered with fungus. It both- 

 ered me a great deal to know why the eggs died in so many instances. 



We read the reports of this Society and got much information con- 

 cerning the spawning habits of the black bass and other fish. We do 

 not have small-mouth bass in Kansas. We have undertaken to raise 

 the small-mouth and it does well in the ponds, but if these fish are 

 placed in our waters in competition with the large-mouth bass they 

 disappear. I do not know what happens, but they disappear. At Lake 

 View, near Lawrence, Kan., the government stocked 150 acres with 

 small-mouth black bass some 15 years ago. 



We have fished in that lake more than thirty years and never caught 

 but one small-mouth black bass. This lake has always been well sup- 

 plied with the large-mouth black bass, but the small-mouth black bass 

 does not seem to thrive in the same waters in Kansas that are well 

 adapted for the large-mouth variety. We notice in the reports of this 

 Society that special gravel beds have with more or less success been pre- 

 pared for the use of the black bass during the spawning season. We pre- 

 pared a number of beds for black bass to spawn on. We wanted in- 

 formation suitable to and in harmony with the conditions of our own 

 state. Many farmers in Kansas are raising fish and want information 

 in regard to pond fish culture. Coarse sand and gravel was placed 

 in these beds, the gravel ranging from the size of peas to marbles. 

 These sand and gravel beds looked good enough to attract any spawn- 

 ing bass. Did the black bass come and spawn on those beds? No. 

 They went just outside of the beds, where moss, grass and other small 

 water-plants grew. They removed part of the grass and moss -and the 

 softer mud. In these shallow basins, lined with stems of grass and 

 moss and their roots they deposited their eggs. Not a single bass, so 

 far as observed, spawned on the gravel beds. These beds may be all 



