American Fisheries Society 105 



tilized when they reaeh the Iwtlom. Thus )-ellow bass are 

 not so prolific as black bass and other nest-1:)uilding pond 

 fishes, which deposit their eggs and gnard them nntil hatched. 

 With yellow bass 100 brood fish per acre are necessary for a 

 g(^o(l ontpnt of yonng fish. 



The eggs are yery small, being abont .03 of an inch in 

 diameter, or from 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 per quart. Hie 

 period of incubation at a mean water temperature of 70 de- 

 grees is from 4 to 6 da}'s. and the }'olk sac is absorl)ed in 

 about 4 days. When iirst hatched the fr\' are from • ^ to 

 3/16 of an inch in length, colorless and trans])arent, the first 

 color to appear being the black eye spots. 



Owing to the yolk sac the newly hatched fry are far easier 

 to see than those a few days old, because after the yolk sac is 

 nearly asborl^ed the fry are only 1/4 of an inch long, very 

 transparent, and much more slender. Their small size and 

 transparency are doul)tless of considerable ])rotection to 

 them. 



Idle movements of the young yellow bass differ from those 

 of young black bass, but both accomplish the same purpose, 

 i. e., ])roteclion from 1)eing smothered in sediment, ddie 

 1)lack I)ass fry swim forward near the bottom in a horizontal 

 position l)y energetic movements of the caudal fin. The 

 yellow bass fry rise straight toward the surface head first l)y 

 vigorous moyements of the tail, and when their exertions 

 cease turn (|uickly and sink head first to the Ijottom without 

 nioN'ing the bod)' or fins while descending. Touching bottom 

 the}' immediate]}' turn and swim upward again, occasionally 

 stopping before reaching the surface. The habit of inces- 

 santly swdmming up and sinking slowdy to the bottom is 

 ])robal)ly instinctixe, and protects the fry from being suffo- 

 cated if the bottom is muddy. 



When first hatched the fry may l)e seen when they swim up 

 near the surface in water about two feet deep. After 2 or 3 

 days they drift toward the shores and can be found in water 

 from 1 to 10 inches deep. 



