64 Book of the Black Bass. 



CHAPTER V. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



" You may remember that I told you, Gesner says there are no 

 pikes in Spain ; and doubtless, there was a time, about a hundred 

 or a few more years ago, when there were no carps in England." — 

 IzAAK Walton. 



The black bass is wholly unknown in the Old World, 

 except where recently introduced, and exists, naturally, 

 only in North America. The original habitat of the genus 

 is remarkable for its extent, for, with the exception of the 

 ISTfew England states and the Atlantic seaboard of the 

 middle states, it comprised the whole of the United States 

 east of the Eocky Mountains, Ontario (Canada), and East 

 Mexico. 



Of late years the range of the black bass has been ex- 

 tended through the efforts of public-spirited individuals, 

 and by the Fish Commissioners of various states, so that 

 at the present time this noble fish may be said to have a 

 " local habitation and a name " in every state of the Union. 

 It has also been successfully introduced into England, 

 Scotland and the Continent of Europe. 



Of the two species, the large-mouth bass had the widest 

 distribution, occurring all through the vast scope of terri- 

 tory as mentioned. The small-mouth bass had a somewhat 

 limited range in comparison, not extending east or south 

 beyond the Alleghany mountains, though occurring nearly 

 everywhere else, except in the Gulf states, with the large- 

 mouth species. 



The fact that the original habitat of the black bass did 

 not embrace New England and the Pacific slope is not re- 



