SPAWNING OF BLACK BASS 25 



water, as well as to act as a sunshade to the* 

 fish. A spot several inches deep and two feet 

 square is excavated in the pond, the box is 

 placed therein, and the hole filled with gravel, 

 varying from the size of a goose-egg to that of 

 a marble, to the top-level of the strips. It is 

 policy to place some of the large stones in the 

 centre, as a bass would do if it were construct- 

 ing the nest. 



It is the male that selects the site for th© 

 nest and gets it ready for use. He does this 

 before he has even looked about him for a 

 mate. If he has started early in the season, 

 say the latter part of May, while he is yet un- 

 ripe or "hard," he sometimes digs for days 

 before the nest is completed to his satisfaction. 



Construction of the Natural Nest. — The 

 nest-building season begins usually about th© 

 middle or latter part of May and sometimes 

 does not end until after the first week in July. 

 As a rule the site for a nest is selected with 

 great car© and with clos© attention to aur- 

 rounding conditions. Bottoms with small 

 loose stones, or with gravel or clean sand, are 

 invariably preferred. Places with large rooks 



