36 FISH CULTUEE 



other; yet in particular cases, where it was 

 necessary for the nests actually to face each 

 other, no trouble was experienced. Moreover, 

 a number of bass have built natural nests im- 

 mediately outside and against the boxes of some 

 of the occupied artificial nests, and were not 

 disturbed. Several other fish built natural 

 nests close together and appeared to get along 

 well. This becomes more significant from the 

 fact that these bass were not domesticated in 

 any way, but were wild fish caught during the 

 spring in Lake Erie, and introduced into the 

 breeding-ponds, where they built nests and 

 spawned a few days after their arrival. 



In every pond fish will be found which ab- 

 solutely refuse to make use of nests prepared 

 for them, however carefully constructed, but 

 will build their own, sometimes of inferior con- 

 struction. Some bass have, on occasions, 

 carried their apparently obstinate rejection of 

 an artificial nest so far as to scoop out a hole 

 in the muddy bottom, in which unfavourable 

 situation eggs were deposited and hatched. 



Often the natural nests are larger and con- 

 tain more eggs than those which are artificially 



