SPAWN IN SPRING. 379 



the back (much such a shade as the darker hues in mac- 

 kerel), gradually getting lighter, almost to white, as you 

 approach the abdomen ; but in those southern waters, 

 which are strongly impregnated with alluvial deposit, and 

 consequently turbid, the back of these bass are less bril- 

 liant in shade, while the stomach is not so clear a white. 

 An advantage that recommends them is, that they are in 

 season when trout should not be killed. In spring they 

 spawn, the exact time varying in different waters on account 

 of season and position as to latitude. 



If I may judge from the quantity of spawn the female 

 contains, they must be immensely prolific ; for although the 

 individual ovum is small, the roe is very large in propor- 

 tion to the bulk of the fish. From my own observation 

 and inquiries, I believe that the spawn is from sixteen to 

 twenty days in maturing after being deposited, which would 

 give ample time for its transportation across the Atlantic. 

 I am further of opinion that, indiscriminately, gravel or 

 soil bottom is selected on which to deposit the eggs; for 

 many of the rivers and ponds in which I have captured 

 this bass flowed through, or were situated in deep bottom 

 lands, where a stone, even as large as a pebble, would be 

 difficult to find. One pond in Southern Illinois I particu- 

 larly remember ; it covered a space of about thirty acres, 

 with an average depth of about three feet, except in the 

 southern extremity, where about eight feet of water could 

 be found. The bottom was entirely composed of mud ; yet 

 this pond swarmed with black bass. Lake Champlain, 

 the St. Lawrence, and Lake Ontario (all who have visited 

 these regions will remember) are remarkably clear, with 



