3/8 Rooscvi-lt Wild Life Annals 



for pond culture, especially it the area of water is restricted, and that is A. ncbit- 

 losus, or what is usually known as the bullhead or horned pout and marble catfish in 

 the North (although all of the small catfishes are called bullheads in the North) and 

 speckled catfish in the South. All attempts, so far as we know, to domesticate and 

 successfully rear the channel cat (Ictalnrus punctatns) in small areas of water have 

 utterly failed. 



"The people of the whole country, and especially of the central South, regard the 

 catfishes favorably, and the interest in them is surely growing. This being true, 

 it follows that an effort should be made to produce them in greater numbers than 

 has been done in the past. 



"After observing results for several years it seems clear to us that the catfish 

 under consideration {A. ncbulosus) does better in wild ponds, even of small area, 

 than in those that have been established with much care and pains. 



"It has been noted at this station, especially in pond M, where conditions are 

 favorable, that the catfish like some such cover as a sunken log or stump. Accord- 

 ingly it was determined to place sunken boards in the ponds where these fish were 

 kept, in stich numbers that each individual fish should have a home of his own as 

 well as a nesting place. The water in the ponds was drawn to near the bottom and 

 inch boards 12 inches wide and 5 or 6 feet long were used, one end being driven 

 into the embankment a few inches, the other end being fastened to the bottom by 

 driving a I by 3 inch stake down at the end and nailing through this into the board. 

 In most cases this left an opening under the center of the board, but where it did 

 not the catfish very soon dug out the earth and made the place to suit themselves. 

 In fact, the writer would recommend that this feature be left to the fish, for it 

 was observed that they dug out the earth and occujiied these boards, which were 

 flat on the bottom, before they did the ones along the embankment where an open- 

 ing was all ready for them. We shall also in the future use a board about 3 feet 

 long, as that proves ample for the needs of the fish, requires less lumber, and is 

 less in the way during seining operations. The board should also be well tramped 

 down into the mud so that the stakes will not hang the seine, the stake and board 

 being a little below the general level of the bottom of the pond. If put in thus, it 

 might be well to make the beginning of a depressidu nndfr the bnard with a sliovel 

 or mattock, as otherwise the board might be ovcrlcKiked liy the fish. This. Imwcvcr. 

 is not likdv. 



"I wnuld here make a s]H\-ial note, special because I brlic\-e that it is iniinirtant 

 in the proiluction of IniUheads in numbers. Although the fish ordinarily use the 

 boards in spawning, it was noted that early in the season while the water was yet 

 cool they did not use these, but resorted to the shallows of the ])onds where the 

 water is about a foot deep and there established their beds, making a depression in 

 the mud and weeds shaped like a track made by a moccasin-covered foot, the depres- 

 sion being about 18 inches long and 6 wide at the broader end. The i)arent 

 fish, with their heads to the broader end of the depression, here deposit the eggs. 

 We had no boards in water less than 2 feet in depth, but liy accident one board was 

 left on the embankment with nne end in the ]iond in abcnit Ci inches (if w.'iter. This 



