362 - PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 
myself, for fish of such a size were far from common. The 
color, as in all varieties of fish, varies much. In clear, run- 
ning water they are generally a very dark green upon the 
back (much such a shade as the darker hues in mackerel), 
gradually getting lighter, almost to white, as you approach 
- the abdomen; but in those Southern waters, which are 
strongly impregnated with alluvial deposit, and consequent- 
ly turbid, the back of these bass are less brilliant in shade, 
while the stomach is not so clear a white. An advantage 
that recommends them is, that they are in season when 
trout should not be killed. In spring they spawn, the ex- 
act time varying in different waters on account of season 
and position as to latitude. 
If I may judge from the quantity of spawn the female 
contains, they must be immensely prolific; for although the 
individual ovum is small, the roe is very large in proportion 
to the bulk of the fish. From my own observation and in- 
quiries, I believe that the spawn is from sixteen to twenty 
days in maturing, after being deposited, which would give 
ample time for its transportation across the Atlantic. I am 
further of opinion that, indiscriminately, gravel or soil bot- 
tom is selected on which to deposit the eggs; for many of 
the rivers and ponds in which I have captured this bass 
flowed through, or were situated in deep bottom - lands, 
where a stone, even as large as a pebble, would be difficult 
to find. One pond in Southern Illinois I particularly re- 
member; it covered a space of about thirty acres, with an 
average depth of about three feet, except in the southern 
extremity, where about eight feet of water could be found. 
The bottom was entirely composed of mud; yet this pond 
swarmed with black bass. Lake Champlain, the St. Law- 
rence, and Lake Ontario (all who have visited these regions 
will remember) are remarkably clear, with gravelly or rocky 
bottoms, and each is a favorite haunt of this fish. 
