American Fisheries Society 79 



Hessel, l)ecaiise we know tliat ho was a very accurate man in his 

 work, and I think tluit the history referred to is worth look- 

 ing up. 



Dr. James A. llenshall, of Montana : What crappie did yon 

 experiment with, tlie sparoides or the ainiularis? 



Mr. AYorth: Both. 



Dr. Henshall : I wonki only state that in the middle west in 

 Kentucky, the (iiiiiuhiris always spawn in clear spring ponds, as 

 does the calico hass or the sparoides in the lakes of Wisconsin 

 and Minnesota. Those lakes are always clear and the fish spawn 

 naturally. Of course, it makes some difference in case of domes- 

 tication. 



President: Will Dr. Evermann say a word in regard to the 

 catfish from the biological standpoint, and the possible cause for 

 failure of artificial propagation ? 



Dr. Barton W. Evermann, Washington, D. C. : I do not 

 know that I could say anything that would help the matter at 

 all. I am not very familiar with the spawning habits of the 

 channel cat or the spawning habits of the blue cat of the Missis- 

 si})pi valU'y. and I take it tliat in the experimental work in the 

 station, or fish cultural work there, it is desirable to propagate 

 both of those species, and probably the difficulties which you 

 would encounter Avith the one would be essentially the same as 

 those wliicli you would encounter with the other. In the year< 

 that I spent in the Mississippi vallev, it was my observation with 

 both of those species of cat (particularly the channel cat) that 

 while they would live in the moderately swiftly flowing streams, 

 such as the Wabash, we would find them in the spring of the 

 year at spawning time, in holes in the banks of the streams. It 

 was quite a common thing for us to go after the channel cat in 

 that way, and in tlie spring of the year to find it in the holes in 

 the banks, ami the supposition Avas that that was its spawning 

 place. I do not know that that is correct, but it may l)e. At any 

 rate that may offer a suggestion as to the habits of the fish. 



In all of this work it is of the utmost importance, I think, 

 that we should know what species we are dealing with. As Dr. 

 .Henshall raises the question regarding two species of crappie 



