Spawning. 77 



the grounds and stocked it with small-mouth bass from 

 White Eiver and Fall Creek. For several years he had the 

 opportunity of closely observing the fish during the breed- 

 ing season, and records the following interesting data:* 



" I placed the bass in the pond for the sole purpose of noticing 

 them during the breeding season, but the water in the pond was so 

 crowded with a growth of algse that my observations have not 

 been satisfactory. I think the female prepares the spawning 

 ground or bed, after which the male joins her. Whilst the female 

 is preparing the bed the males fight with each other for posses- 

 sion. * * * xhe male presses the roe from the female by a, 

 series of bites or pressures along her belly with his mouth, the 

 female lying upon her side during the operation. The male ejects 

 the milt upon or over the roe from time to time, and the spawn- 

 ing process lasts for two or three days. When the spawning is 

 over, the male disappears from the scene, and the female remains 

 upon the nest extremely pugnacious, allowing nothing to approach 

 until the eggs have hatched and the young fry are a week or ten 

 days old. The young fish commence at once to prey upon each 

 other and continue until they are two or three weeks old, when 

 cannibalism ceases and there is no more danger from that source.'' 



This accords, in the main, with my own observations, 

 though I have never observed the male biting or pressing 

 the abdomen of the female with his mouth; this feature, 

 however, has been confirmed by Mr. Geo. C. Eixford, of 

 Eixford, Florida, who observed the occurrence in that state. 

 It would seem, then, that this proceeding is not uncommon 

 to both species, as Major Arnold's observations were con- 

 fined to the small-mouth, and those of Mr. Eixford to the 

 large-mouth bass. 



I have often seen the female alone, and sometimes the 

 male, and sometimes both together, spinning rapidly 



* Successful Propagation of Black Bass. By Major Isaac Ar- 

 nold, Jr., U. S. A. < Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, ii, 1882. 



