Oneida Liihi- l-islus 479 



jiartiital attention ceases (KciKhard, 'od, p. 35). It is thus iviileiit that inipnrtam 

 lircedinj; activities may extend to the end of June. 



Much has l>een written on the Hfe histories of black bass, but the two species 

 are often treated together, which is unfortunate since there are evidently ini])ortant 

 distinctions l>etween tlie two as to breeding. I'ulilished statements on the hfe 

 histories are fre(|uently very general and ba.sed on meager data. Little seems to 

 be known as to the bree<ling time of the Large-mouthed si)ecies. Henshall (17. 

 ]). 74 ) notes the breeding of black bass in early spring, the time differing in 

 <lilTerent localities. Gowlc ('03, p. 58) remarks that the date does not vary much 

 with latitude. Richardson ('13. p. 414) found ne.sts at Havana. Illinois, .\pril 26 

 and May 18. iMirltes and Richardson ('cnj, p. 269) give the breeding season as 

 May to June. ICvermaini and Clark ('20, p. 417) found the species spawning in 

 I -ike Ma.xinkuckee from alniut the mitldle of May to the 30th, on which date they 

 found alxjut a dozen nests. Tracy ('10, p. 120) and Bean ('03. p. 492) both con- 

 sider the spawning time as April to July. Bensley ( '15. ]>. 41 ) found nests in the 

 Georgian Bay region in early June. Hankinson (,'08. p. 214) at Walnut I.ake 

 found the first nests of this bass on May 16. 



As to breeding conditions. Reighard ('o<'>, p. 15) found nests close to shore 

 in ponds with dead leaves, water plants and sandy gravel areas. Richardson ('13. 

 p. 414 I foimd nests in water from six inches to two feet deep, in growths of flags 

 and Mnartweeds. Bensley ('15, p. 41) found eggs placed on deposits of detritus 

 on swamp iKittom. Hankinson ('08, p. 214) fouml nests on shoals in from 1 to 

 2j/i feet of water, in growths of bulrushes and water-milfoil. The ma.\imum 

 depth for nesting is unknown, but F.verniann and Clark ('20, \'ol. i, p. 417) found 

 nests in al>out six feet of water. 



The nest is a simiile affair, usually difTicult to loc.ite. and many times can Iw 

 found only through the Inrhavior of the fish guarding it. Reighard ('o<'>. p. 15) 

 says: "They arc much less conspicuous than the nests of the Small-mouth Bass 

 and are usually less excavated. Often the l)ottom is covered with ileati leaves, 

 fallen from neighl>oring trees, and the fish has merely swept away the thin layer 

 of «M./e from these and the eggs have Uen laid upon them. In other cases the 

 roots or low growing shiKits of water i)lants have been similarly cleaned. .Some- 

 tinus an area of sandy gravel has Inren swept clean, luit has not l>een hollowetl out 

 nor has the sand ln-en removed from among the |K'bbles. .Ml sucIj nests are incoii- 

 spicuotis and are usually foun<l only by first observing the presence of the male 

 Iwss. In but one case have I seen a I.arge-mouthe<l Bass on a nest that was well 

 hollowe<l out and in which the sand had l)een removed from among the ix-bbles at 

 the center of the nest. Tliis was, however, in a jxmd in which Small-mouthed 

 Bass were also present, so tliat the work may have l>een in |>art that of a Small- 

 monthed Bass." I-.vermann and Clark ('20. p. 417) descrilie the nests as circular 

 ilepressions fille«l in with im-I>Ii1cs from about the si/e of a hen's egg <lown, and 

 the nests as .iNuit 2'j feet .icross. Hankinson ("oS. p. 2i4'> descriU's the nests 

 fouml at Walnut I.akc as circular masses of blackcne<| butnoh nxits. Bensley 

 ('13. p. 41) says, "The fish construct nests, by fanning out huge Iwsins with the 

 fins, sometimes three feet in diameter and a foot into the iKittom." Nash ( \>8. 

 p 8<M also descriU's the nests as maile by sc<M»ping out sand and mml. Richard- 



