Hibernation. 89 



river, during the winter, for firewood, found in the hollow of one 

 of the logs, six black bass (small-mouth), weighing from a half 

 to two pounds; they were nearly dormant. 



" The father of Pension Commissioner Bentley. who lives at 

 Glens Falls, and has some trout ponds on his place, to gratify a 

 boy bought of him a black bass, and placed the fish in a spring. 

 When autumn came the fish was missing, and was supposed to be 

 stolen. During the succeeding winter the spring partly dried up, 

 and to restore the water supply the spring was dug deeper. Dur- 

 ing the operation it was found necessary to remove an old stump 

 in the side of the spring, when to his surprise the bass was found 

 underneath the stump, in a hole, evidently prepared for winter 

 burrow." 



Mr. John Eoff, of Wheeling, West Virginia, a remark- 

 ably close observer, saj's, in the " Eeport of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution," for 1854: 



" In the winter season they retire to deep and still water, and 

 apparently hide under rocks, logs, etc., and remain there until 

 the first of April." 



I could multiply evidence on this point, if necessary, 

 but these several opinions, founded upon observations made 

 in the widely separated states of Wisconsin and Minnesota 

 in the west, New York in the north, and West Virginia 

 in the middle section of our country must suffice. 



That black bass do not hibernate in the extreme south, 

 is well known ; and to this circumstance, may be attributed, 

 in a measure, their larger growth. Still, it is not unreason- 

 able to suppose, that the black bass of that section have a 

 period of repose and seclusion, analogous to hibernation, 

 at some other season of the year, possibly during the fervid 

 heat of the summer solstice; for it is usual for the bass 

 of the north and west to cease biting and retire to the 

 deepest water during an unusually heated term in summer. 



The fact that the best season for black bass fishing varies 



