American Game-Fishes 



immense region which goes by Central 

 time, it has been a favorite since its settle- 

 ment, and has become such where intro- 

 duced. It has been sometimes put into 

 waters from which it would more wisely 

 have been excluded; but, on the other 

 hand, it has made good fishing-grounds 

 of many a sheet of water which before 

 scarcely yielded a day's sport. While it 

 does best with good spring water, if there 

 be but food enough it will thrive and grow 

 rapidly under conditions which would be 

 fatal to such a fish as a trout. Hence bass 

 of a pound weight are probably as easily 

 found as is a trout of one-fourth of that. 

 Many things contribute to the survival and 

 growth of the bass. In the first place, the 

 parent is not, like many anadromous or 

 late-spawning fish, driven away by winter 

 from its ova before they are hatched. The 

 nest is fiercely guarded as long as the young 

 stay in it. Then, as cold weather ap- 

 proaches, it hibernates in the mud or some 

 safe place where the winter poacher can- 

 not find it. When active it has a vora- 

 city equal to a pike's, and is even better 

 able to gratify it. Naturally, then, where 

 it is found at all it is usually reasonably 

 abundant and of good size. Remarkable 

 strength is evident from its heavy build, 



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