BASS. 177 



(P. fluviatiiis). Strong, bold and voracious, the bass 

 affords excellent play to the angler ; but being well 

 skilled in artful devices, the fish often eludes efforts 

 to capture it. They are caught on handlincs baited 

 with lug-worms, sand-eels, pieces of cuttlefish 

 (squid) ; also by trolling or spinning with sand- 

 launce, and artificial indiarubber baits in the shape 

 of twisted worms mounted on hooks, frequently 

 with salmon-flies and rod, giving then most ex- 

 citing sport, as fish of 8 Ibs. and 10 Ibs. are not 

 by any means uncommon captures. 



My own largest (13^ Ibs.) I caught spinning off 

 Brixham, Devon. Pennant records one of 15 Ibs., 

 Buckland one of 22 Ibs. from Herne Bay, and 

 Yarrel one of 28 Ibs. 



The bass is a handsome fish ; the body is 

 elongated and perch-like, grey along the back, 

 and the sides silvery as a salmon's, and white 

 on the belly. There are two dorsal fins ; the front 

 fin has nine sharp spines ; the second dorsal, tail 

 and anal fins are stained grey ; the ventral and 

 pectoral yellowish- white. The scales are of mode- 

 rate size. Teeth are borne upon the jaws, vomer, 

 palate and tongue, and the gill-cover terminates in 

 two spines. Allied species occur in American 

 waters, and also in the Mediterranean Sea. 



Some years ago, in December, 1878, Mr. Begg, 

 a Scotch gentleman who resided near Toronto, 

 Canada, brought to England some living The 

 specimens of black bass, the Grystes Black 

 nigricans of the River St. Lawrence, but (Grystes} 

 caught in Lake Rosseau. Most of the nigricans) 

 fish were sent to Mr. Mason, of Eynsham Hall, 

 near Oxford, and a number of them were taken 



N 



