98 KEPOIIT OF OKTAEIO GAME No. 52 



also are the headwaters of several important rivers in the lower reaches 

 of which the black bass does occur, possessed no fish of this description 

 until the experiment was made of introducing them. It is to be noted 

 also that, generally speaking, to the north of the latitude of Georgian 

 Bay, even where the fish does occur, it is, as a rule, not in Buch great 

 abundance as in the more southern waters, and it is evident, therefore, 

 that those waters, such as the Bay of Quinte, the Ducks near Kingston, 

 the Rideau Lakes and Kiawartha Lakes, which have become famous 

 in angling circles as particularly prolific in black bass, even though of 

 recent years their reputation may have waned owing to the depletion 

 which has occurred, should be most highly esteemed, cared for and pre- 

 served by the Province, for it is a practical certainty that no such mag- 

 nificent fishing grounds for black bass in Ontario remain to be discov- 

 ered in the future. 



In general the black bass seems to prefer cool, clear waters, having 

 a rocky or gravelly bottom. It is a voracious and cannibalistic fish, its 

 food consisting chiefly of insects, crustaceans and small fish, but when it 

 is hungry it will, apparently, consume almost anything which it can 

 overpower. At the approach of winter it ceases to feed and lies dormant 

 under logs, weeds or rocks, until shortly before the ice commences to 

 move, when, as the warmth of the water increases, it rapidly regains 

 both its energy and appetite. The spawning season commences in May 

 and is over early in July, the actual date of commencement appearing 

 largely to depend on the temperature of the water. The male fish pre- 

 pares a nest by scooping out a shallow hole in sand or gravel, and when 

 this has been accomplished to his satisfaction he proceeds in search of a 

 mate. At this period the males are most pugnacious and desperate 

 •encounters frequently take place between them. Having found a mate 

 ^nd successfully conducted her to his nest, the male fish has to court the 

 female in order to induce her to void her eggs, which he does by rubbing 

 Iiimself gently against her sides. When the spaw^ning process is com- 

 plete, the female fish departs and the male mounts guard over the nest. 

 Incubation lasts approximately from seven to fifteen days, but the male 

 ^sli does not leave his charge until the small fishes are able to swim and 

 thus more or less look after themselves, and while engaged in this duty 

 "he will attack and drive away anything which approaches the nest. 

 Consequently it is of the utmost importance that the fish should be pro- 

 tected at this period, for he will rush at almost any lure for the purpose 

 of chasing it away, deeming it a dangerous intruder, and thus lends him- 

 self to easy capture. In such cases the destruction is not limited to the 

 parent fish alone, but will almost inevitably result in that of the progeny 

 also, for in the neighborhood of the nests there are invariably a host of 

 •enemies of spawn and very young fry, such as chub, minnows and other 

 creatures, which alone are kept at a distance by the presence of the 

 guardian over the nest. 



The bass will on occasions take the fly, more frequently so in some 



