54 THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 



keep them there until they have spawned. " Of the black 

 ,bass, in an economic aspect, a gentleman, writing to the 

 Philadelphia Board, says : "An approximate estimate of the 

 numbers of these fish that are annually taken will show 

 their value to the State. It is given on reliable authority 

 that each boat on the Susquehanna will make a daily 

 average catch of ten pounds ; and from close observation it 

 has been ascertained that there are not less than ten boats to 

 the mile engaged in fishing. This for a stretch of twenty 

 miles would make the daily catch in that distance two 

 thousand pounds, which at ten cents a pound would amount 

 to two hundred dollars. This is a very low estimate, and 

 taking in all the water of the river from the mouth to 

 Wilkes-Barre on the North Branch, and the West Branch- 

 there is no doubt that the average catch of these fish will 

 not be less than from five thousand to ten thousand pounds, 

 and of money value to the amount of nearly one hundred 

 thousand dollars annually. Frequently, from ten to twenty 

 boats can be seen in water that will not cover a space of ten 

 acres. In its native waters it attains to a weight of six or 

 eight pounds, and is much esteemed for the table." There 

 are several works written upon bass, published in America. 

 The principal one is " The Book of the Bass," by Dr. 

 Henshall ; it is very readable, well written, and contains a 

 fund of practical information suitable to anglers of all 

 classes. A very full account of the bass tribe is given by 

 "Forest and Stream/' in their Bass Supplement, which the 

 Editor of this interesting paper very courteously furnished 

 me with. 



Bleak, The (Cyprinus alburnus). A small fish found 

 in many of the English streams. It seldom attains a greater 

 length than six inches, and swims in shoals ; is very nimble 



