4--2 Roosevelt Wild Life AnnaJs 



Lepibema chrysops (Rafinesque). Striped Bass, White Bass. The White 

 Bass resembles the Striped Bass, Roccus liiieattis, which lives in the Atlantic and 

 runs up streams to spawn, sometimes occurring in Lake Ontario. The \\'hite Bass 

 is thought to have originated from land-locked Striped Bass. The species does 

 not appear to be common in Oneida Lake at the present time, for we could get no 

 information of any numbers being taken there very recently. Bean ('13, p. 271) 

 says the State Conservation Commission took over 700 in Oneida Lake while get- 

 ting Black Bass for the breeding ponds at Constantia. We obtained but two small 

 fish (No. 314), but got 8 from the market at Brewerton, with assurances from Mr. 

 H. X. Coville that they came from Oneida Lake. 



The species is easily distinguished. In form it is much like a black bass, but 

 the sides are silvery with a number of dusky, longitudinal lines upon them. 



Breed ill;/ Habits and Life History. Bean ('03, p. 523) says that in April and 

 jMay, White Bass leave the deeper waters and go in near shore or to mouths of 

 rivers where they spawn, and that the spawning period is May and June. Later 

 ('13. p. 271) he records its spawning place as near shores or in river mouths and 

 the time as April and May. Wright and Allen ('13, p. 6) corroborate him in this 

 last statement, except that they give the breeding time as May and June. Henshall 

 ('03, p. 87) states that it performs a semi-migration in spring, entering the tribu- 

 taries of lakes in large schools, and that it spawns usually in ]\Iay. 



This fish grows to a length of 15 inches (Jordan and Evermann, '96, p. 1132) 

 and a weight of 3 pounds (Bean, '03, p. 523). One of the specimens in our col- 

 lection from Oneida Lake (No. 150J must have been near the maximum size for 

 the species, for it was 14 inches long. 



Habitat. White Bass, both adults and young must be confined very closely to 

 the deep water of Oneida Lake, since none was taken in our many collections made 

 in the summer in shallow water; however, two small ones were taken here on 

 October 18, 1915 (No. 314). It is possible that it is a habit of the young to come 

 to the .shoals during the cool seasons. Adult White Bass are very evidently deep 

 water fish. Jordan and Evermann ('96, p. 1132) say that it frequents deep, still 

 waters, seldom ascending small streams. Bean ('03, p. 523) considers it a fish 

 of the deeper parts of rivers, thriving best in lakes and ponds. Henshall ('03, 

 p. 87) states that the White Bass is found in water of moderate depth, preferring 

 those that are clear and cool, that it does not resort to weedy situations, and that it 

 is essentially a lake fish, except at the breeding time. The ecological tables given by 

 Forbes and Richardson ('09, ]). 319) shf)w its strong ])rcferencc in Illinois for 

 lakes and jiduds rather than rivers and that a very small nuinbrr arc found in creeks. 

 Nash ("oS. ]). (j()) writes of its li;i1)il;ii and certain (if it^ haliils as fallows : "The 

 White Bass is found in the (Inat I akcs df Ontario; it rarely ascends streams, but 

 occurs sometimes at the months ^f ilu- larger rivers. It is gregarious, usually 

 swimming in schools containing a lai;.;r number of individuals." 



Fdoil. Bean ('13, ]>. 271 1 says that the White' I'.ass I'ccd naturally cm niin- 



of fishes: it moves in sfbdi.js while feedint;. It is said U< dcvmir voimg whitcfish 



