THE AQUATIC VERTEBRATES 1043 



of sediment. A very brief survey of the nature of the eggs and 

 the brooding habits as far as known is instructive. 



Amia, the sunfishes, and the black bass build their nests in 

 shallow water with little or no current. The nest is either pre- 

 pared in weed-covered patches or on the sand. Amia prefers 

 weed-covered patches but is not exclusive in its selections. The 

 nest, prepared by the male with the snout and fins, consists simply 

 of an area from which the vegetation has largely been removed, 

 or it may be but a saucer-shaped pit in sand. The eggs of Amia 

 are adhesive and are attached to the sides and bottoms of the 

 nest. The male remains over or near the nest until the eggs hatch, 



FIG. 1541. Large-mouthed Black Bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede). 



occasionally fanning away sediment, and always while near the nest 

 ready to drive out intruders. The male accompanies the school of 

 young until they reach a length of 100 mm. 



The sunfishes and black bass build their nests preferably in gravel 

 or sand, but not to the entire exclusion of the localities preferred 

 by Amia. Their eggs are quite small and also adhesive, and are 

 found at the sides or bottom of a nest. 



The male of the small-mouthed black bass builds the nest. 

 There are no secondary sexual characters. " Each x male tests the 

 bottom in several places by rooting into it with his snout and fan- 

 ning away the overlying mud or sand with his tail. If he does not 

 find gravel after going down three or four inches, he seeks another 

 place. Having found a suitable place, he cleans the sand and mud 

 from the gravel by sweeping it with his tail. He then turns over 

 the stones with his snout and continues sweeping until the gravel 

 over a circular spot, some two feet in diameter, is clean. The sand 

 is swept toward the edge of the nest and there forms a few inches 

 1 From Lydell, Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 22: 39. 



