104 XEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



fish food. If the pondweeds, together with the brook-minnows, 

 frogs, crustaceans and other small fry which are to establish the 

 natural supply of food, can be introduced a year before the stock 

 fish are put in, the conditions for success will be greatly improved. 



Spazvning Places. — Fish-ponds should be supplied with spawn- 

 ing conditions suitable to the fishes occupying them : Small- 

 mouthed black bass, which make their nests in gravel, will require 

 gravelly bottom : Large-mouthed black bass, which nest among 

 the roots of plants, will find the conditions they require among 

 the weeds of the pond. Yellow perch, which spawn among twigs 

 under water, are easily accommodated — pieces of brush may be 

 set firmly in the bottom where the water is shallow, in the branches 

 of which they will deposit large whitish masses of spawn. If the 

 brush tops extend several inches above the surface of the water, 

 so that they will be swayed by the wind, and kept free of sedi- 

 ment, the hatching of masses of spawn will be greatly facilitated. 



Rock bass and tlie various species of sunfish which, like the 

 small-mouthed black bass, make their nests in gravelly places, 

 will absolutely require places of that character if they are ex- 

 pected to increase and a few cartloads of gravel dumped around 

 the lake in water about two feet in depth will furnish the necessary 

 conditions. 



Since ponds, to be successful, must have proper spawning condi- 

 tions, some study of the habits of pond fishes is important and 

 there are numerous helpful books available. It is now the custom 

 with professional fish-culturists to supply artificial spawning nests 

 in ponds containing small-mouthed black bass. These are small 

 shallow boxes about two feet square filled with mixed gravel 

 and sand, which early in the spring are placed everywhere in 

 shallow water around the pond. They are at once appropriated 

 by pairs of basses seeking spawning places. The boxes have 

 boards nailed on two sides at adjoining corners, which extend 

 about a foot higher, affording shelter for the basses similar to 

 that which they naturally seek under the shelter of submerged 

 logs. 



Basses guard their nests for several days after the spawn has 

 been deposited, and it is the custom at fish cultural establishments 

 to place over the nest before the young fishes leave it, a light 

 circular frame of iron covered with cheese cloth, one end of 

 which protrudes above the water. This prevents the young fishes 

 from wandering away from the nest, and makes it possible for 

 them to be removed with the dip net to nursery ponds, where they 



