Stocking Waters. 113 



be, the eggs and young are helplessly exposed to the ravages 

 of predatory fish, reptiles, and birds. Under these circum- 

 stances comparatively few fish arrive at maturity, and 

 streams are soon depopulated by seining, unlawful fishing 

 and natural vicissitudes ; hence arises the necessity for their 

 artificial cultivation and the re-stocking of such waters. 

 - The eggs of the salmonids are of a separate and non- 

 adhesive character, which admits of their being easily 

 handled and managed for the purposes of artificial repro- 

 duction, while those of the black bass are glutinous and 

 adhesive, which renders them very difi&cult to manipulate 

 for similar purposes. 



The black bass being hatched with but a rudimentary 

 or very small umbilical vesicle or yolk-sac, needs the foster- 

 ing care and attention of the parent fish, who teaches it 

 how and where to find its food, and protects it from its 

 enemies in the same way that a hen cares for her brood. 



All that is required, then, to stock a stream or pond 

 with black bass, is to procure a small number of the fish, 

 at least a year old, and place them in the waters. If the 

 water is of a suitable character, and possesses a sufficient 

 supply of natural food, the bass will propagate naturally, 

 and rapidly increase in numbers. 



The only considerations to be looked after are the char- 

 acter and conditions of the waters to be stocked — suffi- 

 cient depth and extent of surface being more ilnportant 

 than quality of water — and the supply of food contained 

 in them. It is useless to attempt to stock very small and 

 confined ponds of less than three acres in extent ; for in such 

 ponds, without communication with running water, the bass 

 will not increase beyond a certain limited number, which 

 will usually be the number of fish originally planted. The 

 supply of natural food in such cases will soon become 



