i6o Bass, Pike, and Perch 



bridges in deep water. It is nocturnal in its 

 habits, for wiiich it is well fitted by its large and 

 prominent eye, and seeks its prey, which con- 

 sists mostly of small fishes, in shallow water. 



It spawns in the spring, and in lakes usually 

 resorts to its spawning grounds in the winter, 

 where it is caught through the ice in large num- 

 bers in certain localities, notably in Put-in-Bay on 

 Lake Erie, and in Lake Pepin and other north- 

 ern lakes. It spawns in sand or gravel in shallow 

 water. Its eggs are small, twelve to an inch, and 

 average fifty thousand to a female. After spawn- 

 ing it retires to deeper water, and in summer locates 

 in the deepest pools. During the spring freshets 

 it sometimes ascends smaller streams in its search 

 for food. Its usual weight does not exceed three 

 or four pounds, though it often grows much larger, 

 from ten to twenty^ pounds. I have seen preserved 

 heads of fish that must have weighed thirty or 

 forty pounds, which had been caught in Kentucky 

 — in Tygert Creek and Kentucky River. It is 

 highly prized as a food-fish, its flesh being white, 

 firm, and flaky, and of an excellent flavor. It is 

 a commercial fish of much importance, especially 

 on Lake Erie, from whence it is shipped in large 

 numbers to the city markets, where it always com- 



