320 



BLACK BASS, 



apparently exhausted, the fish took a new lease of 

 life, and a further trial of patience was demanded 

 before I could call the prize my own. In shape the 

 black bass much resembles a well-fed trout, but is 

 deeper and thicker made, while the tail is remarkable 

 for its breadth. Their weight varies from I lb. to 5 lbs,, 

 yet, on the Niagara river, near the village of Chippawa, 

 I captured a splendid fellow, quite 8 lbs. ; but I was 

 then assured that I had reason to congratulate 

 myself, for fish of such a size were far from common. 

 The colour, as in all varieties of this fish, varies much. 

 In clear running water they are generally a very dark 

 green upon the back (much such a shade as the 

 darker hues in mackerel), gradually getting lighter, 

 almost to white, as you approach the abdomen ; but 

 in those southern waters which are strongly impreg- 

 nated with alluvial deposit, and consequently turbid, 

 the back of these bass is less brilliant in shade, while 

 the stomach is not so clear a white. A still further 

 advantage that may recommend them is, that they 

 are in season when trout should not be killed. In 

 spring they spawn, the exact time varying in different 

 waters, on account of season and position as to lati- 

 tude. 



If I may judge from the quantity of spawn the 

 female contains, they must be immensely prolific, for, 

 although the individual ovum is small, the roe is very 

 large in proportion to the bulk of the fish. From my 

 own observation and inquiries I believe that the spawn 

 is from sixteen to twenty days in maturing, after 

 being deposited, which would give ample time for its 

 transportation across the Atlantic. I am further of 

 opinion that, indiscriminately, all reeds and lilies on a 

 soil bottom are selected on which to attach -he eggs ; 

 for many of the rivers and ponds iri which I have cap- 

 tured this bass flowed through or were situated in deep 

 bottom lands, where a stone, even as large as a pebble 

 would be difificult to find. One pond in Southern 



