NATURAL HISTORY, TORONTO REGION 



or mud by the action of the fins. Over these the 

 males keep guard until the young are hatched, in the 

 meantime driving off all intruders and promoting cir- 

 culation of the water by fanning with ventral fins 

 and tail. 



41. Large-mouthed Black Bass. Yellow Bass. Green 

 Bass. Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede). At one 

 time this fish was abundant in the waters of this 

 locality, but it is now very scarce. The spawning 

 season begins in May and ends at the beginning of 

 July. A nest is scooped out of the sand or mud, in 

 which the adhesive eggs are deposited. These are 

 guarded by the parent fish until hatched. Incuba- 

 tion lasts from one to two weeks, according to the 

 temperature of the water, and the young bass, after 

 emerging from the eggs, remain in the nest for about 

 a week. As the weather becomes cold this Bass 

 seeks deep places, often hibernating under rocks, 

 sunken logs, or in the mud. In the summer its 

 favourite localities are under overhanging banks or 

 in holes among weeds, where it lies in wait for the 

 frogs, fish and crustaceans which constitute the 

 greater part of its food. 



PERCIDAE. (The Perches.) 



42. Yellow Pickerel. Pike-Perch. Dore. Stizos- 

 tedion vitreum (Mitchill). The Yellow Pickerel is 

 common in some parts of Lake Ontario, but is not 

 often taken near Toronto. Its spawning time is in 

 early spring, when it runs on to gravelly or sandy 



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