THE BASSES: FRES H-W ATER AND MARINE 



species that can compare, in robustness of form, 

 symmetry of outline, or sheen of coloration, with a 

 young black bass two or less inches in length. It 

 is stout at the shoulders and of unusual depth of 

 body in proportion to its length, and the glint of 

 silver that comes through and illumines the darker 

 coloration of the upper part of its body is con- 

 stant and beautifully transparent in its diffusion. 

 With this stoutness of body it does not lose in grace- 

 fulness of contour, for every line is symmetrical. 

 The spines and rays of the fins are perfect in spe- 

 cific anatomical detail, with not a broken or marred 

 tip or a break here and there in the membrane they 

 support. Its external anatomy has not a flaw, for 

 the bass is a young Hercules in build without a 

 lesion in strength or beauty; with compact scales 

 and sturdy muscles it is the very image and build 

 of his parents, and has the same habits, indomi- 

 table courage, voracity, and greed, so far as his 

 growth permits. 



Take out of the water where this vigorous little 

 fish lives any other minnow, except the young cat- 

 fish, and in nine cases out of ten you will find scales 

 sticking to your hands, broken spines or rays, and 

 often bruised noses, with a rip here and there in the 

 membrane of the fins. Still more frequently will 

 you have them flutter and die before the tiny hook 

 can be taken from the jaw. The young bass, al- 

 though not gifted with the vitality of the minnow 



16 



