24 FISH-CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
See ee RE EERE TE SGT RE a EE a a 
introduced into them, as the conditions all seem favorable, and 
the large-mouthed bass is very abundant in them). 
As we approach tide water the small-mouthed bass disappears. 
The large-mouthed bass, however, true to his cosmopolitan 
nature, descends the streams to their mouths, where he seems to 
be as much at home in the brackish waters of the estuaries as in 
the pure and crystal rapids of the highlands. 
The black bass being in a manner omnivorous, is probably not 
restricted in its range to any great extent by the supply of any 
one article of his food; though it would be affected, of course, 
by an abundance or scarcity of its food, as a whole. Crawfish 
and minnows are the principal food of adult black bass, and 
these are more or less plentiful throughout the waters of the | 
United States. In addition to these they feed upon insects, 
larvee, frogs, etc. Prof. S. A. Forbes, in his studies of the food 
of fishes, ascertained that the food of young bass, when less 
than an inch in length, consisted entirely of minute crustacea 
(Zntomostraca). When from one to four inches long they feed 
almost wholly upon insects; while crawfish and small fishes 
constituted the principal diet of adult bass, the small-mouthed 
species showing an especial fondness for the former. The great 
prevalence of crawfish in clear, rocky streams may throw some 
light upon the preference of small-mouthed bass for such waters. 
I wish to say a word in this connection in reference to objec- 
tions heretofore urged before this Association against the intro- 
duction of the black bass into eastern waters, upon the theory 
that the presence of the voracious bass would militate against 
the increase of shad and salmon. The objections are not valid 
_ or founded on fact, for the black bass prefers a diet of crawfish, 
when he can get it, varying it with minnows, insects, larve and 
frogs, and in eastern waters he would not object to young eels. 
The pike, pickerel, pike-perch and garfish are almost entirely 
piscivorous in their habits, which might be expected from the 
character of their teeth, and their sins have no doubt been charged 
to the black bass. But while the bass will take in a young shad 
or salmon, if it comes his way when hungry, he will not make 
them special objects of pursuit, like the canine-teethed fishes 
above-named. 
