104 Thirty-ninth Annual Meeting 



unless promptly placed in water. Upon being returned to the 

 water they soon straighten out and swim around as usual. 

 The adults do not have the tendency to curl up so much as the 

 young fish and struggle more like other species when re- 

 moved from the water. Yellow bass are very timid and it is 

 necessary to conceal oneself in order to observe them 

 closely. 



The spawning season is in April and May, depending 

 largely on the water temperature, the height of the season 

 being from April 15 to May 15. Spawning takes place about 

 midday, on bright calm days when the water temperature 

 ranges from 68 degrees to 72 degrees, in water from 2 to 3 

 feet deep. 



As the spawning time approaches the fish instinctively 

 swim up stream in search of the purest water. Preliminary 

 to spawning they pair off and swim swiftly along side by 

 side, the male about 3 inches away from the female, both 

 appearing to be much excited. When spawning occurs the 

 fish swim very slowly or stop for a few seconds while the 

 eggs and milt are being emitted. 



In the act of spawning the female lies partly on her right 

 side with vent toward the male, ejecting the eggs with a 

 tremulous or wavy motion of her entire body. The male 

 does not lie sideways but remains upright beside the female, 

 so that his vent is directly over the eggs as they come from 

 the female. He ejects the milt on the eggs without any 

 percejitible movement of his body except as necessary to 

 maintain his position beside the female. The eggs are not all 

 voided at once, and the fish swim around together during the 

 interxal between spawnings, which continue for an hour or 

 more. y\fter spawning the fish usually remain still near the 

 bottom for some time as if resting. 



The eggs are not likely to be all matured at once, there- 

 fore the spawnings are probably continued on dift'erent days 

 as the eggs develop. The eggs are semi-buoyant and slowly 

 sink. Many of them are eaten or smothered, or are unfer- 



