American Fisheries Society 145 



met with no success in the ponds at San Marcos station. We 

 find both of these fish in the San Marcos and Blanco rivers, 

 usually in the swift water over gravel or sand shoals, and I 

 have an idea that they spawn in these rapid places, though it 

 is said they seek holes in the banks of streams. So far, how- 

 ever, I have not located such spawning places ; in fact I have 

 not found their spawning grounds. Both fish are valuable for 

 their food qualities. I have heard advanced a very foolish 

 idea that eels must be kept in ponds with catfish if it is desired 

 to have the latter spawn. This, however, is too absurd to 

 carry any weight. I mention it merely to show the foolish 

 notions of some fishermen. 



I will be pleased to have through discussion all the in- 

 formation now in the hands of the Society as to the success- 

 ful propagation of the above mentioned fish. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. John W. Titcomb: We have tried to propagate the channel cat 

 and the Mississippi cat at half a dozen different pond stations without 

 success, and from the observations we have made I think nobody 

 deiinitely knows where they spawn. It is the general impression that 

 the Ictalnrus punctatus spawns on the little riffles around the rocks in 

 perfectly clear, swift water. They are gamy and will not stand domes- 

 tication in small ponds. We have a great many applications for these 

 fish from people who want to stock small ponds. But it is useless to 

 put them into ponds of small area, as they require ample range and do 

 best, I think, in swift water. 



Mr. W. E. Meehan : Several years ago we tried to propagate spotted 

 catfish but with no success whatever. We tried them both in pond and 

 stream without results in either case. With other species which we 

 know as the wliite and yellow catfish, we have met with great success. 

 To what extent this work is successful elsewhere, of course I do not 

 know. 



Any ordinary pond 100 feet square or larger will breed the fish ; but 

 we find that in order to succeed we must have heavy, hard clay banks, 

 so that the fish when ready to spawn may dig a hole in the bank that 

 will not cave in. The water should also be cloudy. When the little 

 fish have arrived at the advanced fry stage, they leave the nest or hole, 

 guarded by the large fish, and begin as we call it "rolling." The large 

 fish circle round and round and move the fry over the pond in the form 

 of a ball-like mass. When these balls begin to break up, the fry are 

 gathered in by means of a net and put into a vacant pond, where they 

 are fed and held for shipment as fingerlings. We find that the adults 



