American Fislwries Society. 65 



and every spring we can catch with our seines easily and with- 

 out troul)le, enough hass to put into our ponds. Now, would 

 you prefer that method to keeping them in constant confine- 

 ment? If you were situated so that you could get your hrood 

 fish hy going right out into the wild lake and seining them and 

 putting them into the ponds during the season of ])ro])agation, 

 would you do that or would you keep them in stock all the time? 



Mr. Lydell : If I could I would get my s])awning fish in 

 the fall of the year — what I need — I would hold all I could in 

 my ponds and feed them, domesticate them as much as possible. 

 I find that the wild fish when spawning season comes on are 

 yery shy; they will come up on the shore and make theii- nests, 

 and if you happen to go along there, which we do not allow any- 

 one to do during the spaA\Tiing season — no visitor or employe 

 is allowed to go around the ponds during the spawning season 

 imless it is absolutely necessary — our superintendent cannot go 

 down there unless it is absolutely necessary for him to go — they 

 go just enough to feed the fish — I find that wdien these wild fish 

 come out and spawn, they scoot off to deep water on the slightest 

 provocation — they rush back and forth all the while. But our 

 fish that we got the latter part of the year were domesticated 

 so that you could get within ten or twelve feet of the nest and 

 see the bass lying under the shadow of the board, guarding his 

 bed. Of course if you went up close he would go away, but he 

 would come right back, and I have oftentimes waded right up 

 to the bed, put my hand on the stone, and the bass were lying 

 there. Those were domesticated bass that we have had there 

 several 3'ears. 



Mr. Clark: Don't you think they are acquainted with 

 Dwight Lydell and know him, so that they don't go away? 



Mr. Lydell: I could not say as to that, but they say good 

 morning to me every time I see them. (Laughter). 



The President: Mr. Lydell has satisfied me that there is 

 a good deal of human nature in bass, even to a degree of modesty 

 in courtship. (Laughter). 



Dr. Birge: I should like to ask a questiou along another 

 line: You spoke in the suggestion at the end of your paper, of 

 making the boxes protected on three sides, and then putting a 

 screen in on the fourth side to avoid moving the nest frame 



