Feb. 4, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



108 



thus seen for some two or three weeks, when all sight of 

 them wa3 lost till September, at which time a few only 

 were discovered of about 2in. in length. The above 

 refers to the first show of life from one bed. On June 28 

 two other beds in the same manner developed their young. 

 The precise time these fish spawn, or the duration of their 

 spawning season I have not yet fully discovered. I in- 

 cline to the opinion that a period of two to four weeks 

 passes before all their spawn are deposited. One fish is 

 generally on guard at the bed, seemingly quite docile, 

 and if alarmed, moves from it a few feet, but soon returns. 

 The young Qsh begin to be visible in June and July close 

 in shore among the gravel, pebbles or grass, darting with 

 some activity, and near the surface, for the double pur- 

 pose of food and protection. They are about an inch long 

 when they first disport themselves, and reach about Sin. 

 in five months." 



Twenty years of observation since this labor of love 

 was recorded has added but little to our knowledge of 

 the habits of the black bass, The facts are facts to-day, 

 and the conjectures are not particularly wide of the mark. 

 To me the striking part of the last extract is that which 

 relates to the development of the black bass ova. The 

 first sign of life in the fry was on June 24, and four days 

 later two other beds developed their young. This was in 

 the southeastern part of Massachusetts, in Plymouth 

 county, presumably as early as any part of the State for 



parents had increased in size and weight nearly 100 per 

 cent. Though a close watch was kept on the pond dur- 

 ing the summer we never saw a tench, young or old, from 

 May S3 until the pond was drawn on Nov, 14, 1890. The 

 drawing of the pond taught us that the Cottus bairdi 

 was as inimical to the propagation of the tench as to any 

 other fish; over 100 of these pests were found in the 

 tench pond, and dissection disclosed that they contained 

 from 07ie to three undigested tench. The natural ques- 

 tion is, how many tench had this 100 "mullygrubs" con- 

 sumed during four months? Parenthetically it might be 

 mentioned that in this latitude the Coitus bairdi is 

 hatched out by Jan. 15 and at that time is small enough 

 to pass though a wire screen sixteen meshes to an inch. 

 It is certain that those in pond No. 9 had traveled an un- 

 derground pipe 730 feet long, an open flume 532 feet long, 

 and passed through four screens, sixteen meshes to an 

 inch. 



Season of 1891— In November of 1890, after the pond 

 was thoroughly cleaned of pests and surplus moss, the 

 twenty- three original breeders - were returned to the pond. 

 During this season they were seen quite frequently in 

 May and early June, but only at spawning times. 



The tench, like some warmer-blooded animals, delights 

 to meet its mate "in the gloaming." At Neosho it was 

 not known to spawn except in the dusk of very early 

 morniug or late evening. As is well known among pond- 



which is secreted by a great number of pores, scattered 

 over the head and body. This fish is found throughout 

 Europe. It lives in running waters, but also thrives in 

 lakes and ponds with muddy bottoms and covered with, 

 vegetation. It lives upon vegetable substances, insects 

 and small mollusks. It is of rapid growth. At one 

 year old it weighs about ilb. , at three years it weighs 

 from 2{ to 3jlbs. At six or seven years of age it reaches 

 from 6£ to about 91bs, in weight. Like the carp, the 

 tench is very hardy. It lives in places where all other 

 fish die. It can remain out of water for several days if 

 care is taken to moisten the gills every three or "four 

 hours. The tench is prized as a food fish, but before pre- 

 paring it for eating it is necessary, or best, to allow it to 

 remain several days in running water, in order to remove 

 a disagreeable taste of mud, which it contracts in ponds. 



"The tench is very prolific. It spawns from the last 

 of May until the middle of July, and deposits its numer- 

 ous eggs on the aquatic plants which grow on the bank 

 of the water-course. They are raised in the carp ponds 

 to serve as food for the pike, which chase it eagerly. In 

 ponds which are too muddy for the carp to prosper the 

 tench thrives well, especially if they are not allowed to 

 become too much crowded, which may be prevented by 

 introducing a few eels. The tench, however, is less pro- 

 ductive than the carp, and it is said that more space is 

 required to nourish 100 tench than to fatten 500 carp." 



L HI". TENCH (Tinea oidi/aris). 



the development of spring-spawning fishes. The Massa- 

 chusetts State law makes the open season for black bass 

 from July 1 to Dec. 1, in recognition of the fact that this 

 fish spawns in June. In the State of New York, where 

 there is every reason for the black bass season to open 

 fully as late as in Massachusetts, the law permits fishing 

 May 30, and the destruction of spawning fish goes on year 

 after year. 



Eight years ago I urged in the columns of this journal 

 that the New York law for black bass should be made to 

 open not earlier than July 1, and I have been urging it 

 ever since. Commenting upon my letter at the time 

 FOREST and Stream said editorially that I had rather 

 understated the case and asked the question: "Is it bet- 

 ter to wait and let the fish get through with their domes- 

 tic arrangement, and have some fishing years hence, or 

 is it best to kill the old fish and trust to luck for a future 

 crop?'' 



The codification of the fish and game law has again 

 been introduced in the New Yor ^Legislature, and the 

 bass season is made to open, as now, May 30. Unless 

 the season is changed to cover the breeding season, the 

 aDglers of New York will yet see the time when they 

 will have to trust to luck for a crop of black bass. 



A. N. Cheney. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE TENCH. 



AS PKOPA.GATED AT THE NEOSHO STATION OF THE U. S. 

 COMMISSION OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



ON Dec. 22, 1889, we received twenty-three tench 

 (Tinea vulgaris) which might fairly be called fin- 

 gerlings. They were placed in one of the station ponds 

 known as Poud No. 9, which has a water surface approx- 

 imating 9,000sq. ft. Its greatest depth is 3-.i-ft. and the 

 floor of the pond gradually slopes upward to a "feather 

 edge" of minimum shallow. A small proportion of Pond 

 No. 9 (hardly one-sixth) is covered with less than one 

 foot of water. This is less than gives the best results 

 with carp. 



The tench were placed in this pond about Christmas, 

 of 1889, and though the water was clear nearly all the 

 time they were not seen until the middle of April, 1890. 

 The tench, unlike the carp, is never seen near the sur- 

 face: they are a bottom fish, and seem to delight in 

 hiding among the water-mosses. Many of the visitors at 

 the hatchery doubted the existence of a fish in Pond No. 

 9 at a time when it contained over 25,000 tench. Fewer 

 carp in a larscer poud were seen in vigorous action when 

 a tench could not be seen, 



On May 23, 1889, spawning was observed among the 

 tench, and that for the only time during that season; but 

 it is unquestionable that they spawned more than once 

 during that season. In the fall of 1890 the poud was 

 drawn and. found to contain 9,907 young tench measuring 

 nearly as large aa their parents did one year before, The 



culturists, the carp prefers to spawn along the margin of 

 the pond and in quite shallow water. Our tench invari- 

 ably spawned npar the center of the pond, over a large 

 bed of myriophyllum. The time of the incubation of 

 their eggs is of course dependent upon temperature. As 

 near as we have yet been able to determine, it varies 

 from four to seven days. The egg, in color and size, 

 might easily be mistaken for a carp egg. They are 

 slightly glutinous, but rarely lumpy. 



When the pond is drawn to induce the young to run 

 into the kettle, the greatest care and patience must be 

 exercised. The water should be drawn off very slowly, 

 and it will be found best to do this work on a rainy day. 

 The young tench are easily frightened. At the least dis- 

 turbance they hide among the mosses ( which should be 

 abundant in their pond). The tench and the myriophyl- 

 lum are nearly the same color. Each piece of moss must 

 be carefully picked by hand or else very many young 

 tench will be lost. When the mud, pond water and cold 

 autumn rains are considered, it will be conceded that 

 drawing a tench pond is not pleasant work. Under these 

 conditions Pond No. 9 was drawn on Oct. 12, 1891. and 

 found to contain 27,270 young and the full number (28) of 

 original breeders. 



In transporting the young tench all that is needed is 

 the fish, a small pail and a limited quantity of water. 

 In November, 1891, 6,300 tench, averaging over 2in. 

 long, where shipped from Neosho, Missouri, to Washing- 

 ton, D. C, packed at the rate of 150 tench to a 5-quart 

 pail. These pails at no time contaiued over 4 quarts of 

 water. The water was not changed, nor was any fresh 

 water added, for 54 hours. Not a fish was found dead 

 when the pails were opened in Washington. Comment 

 is unnecessary. 



The tench pond is at nearly all times (excepting: mid- 

 winter ) slightly milky, but never muddy. Unlike 

 the German carp, they no not wallow over the bottom 

 and burrow into the" sides of the pond. In a pond 

 of earth enbankment, unprotected by piling or rip-rapping, 

 we have had carp to burrow out long trenches large 

 enough to contain a man's body. Any approach to such 

 destructiveness we have yet to see among the tench. A 

 further comparison of the carp and tench shows that the 

 latter is much stronger and muscular, size for size, quite 

 as rapid in growth, much more rapid in reproduction, 

 and cleanlier in its habits (especially as to breeding). 

 Therefore, there can be no doubt that the tench will prove 

 an agreeable substitute to many for the unjustly much- 

 desnised carp. 



Gauckler has the following to say about the tench: 

 "The body of the tench is arched on the back and com- 

 pressed laterally: its scales are very small. The mouth 

 is small and is furnished with two barbels. Its coat is 

 dark brown, bright with metallic reflections of bronze; 

 the scales are fastened to the skin by more than half of 

 their surface. The body is coated with a kind of mucus 



The writer begs to express a decided difference from 

 the statements contained in the last sentence of the above 

 paragraph. Wm. F. Page, Supt. Neosho Station. 



"THAT'S DIFFERENT." 



IN the star-chamber room of the Ohio Yacht Club, the 

 other evening, several well-known local anglers were 

 relating their last summer fishing experiences, and among 

 the interesting incidents the following was told, the 

 sequel of which may be of value to many anglers who 

 complain of always losing the largest fish. Two gentle- 

 men were fishing for bass in the waters of Ten-Mile 

 Creek, a tributary to Lake Erie, when the stouter of the 

 two, weighing about 225, was startled to see his sea-grass 

 line move rapidly toward the deep water, the general 

 movement indicating a large fish, At the proper time to 

 jerk he rose to his feet and hooked the fish. When he 

 jerked it seems the fish was near or under the boat, and 

 instantly made a terrible leap out of the water. His 

 companion at once cried out, "It's a dogfish, take these 

 scissors and cut the line — let him go." The fish had taken 

 advantage of this parley and nearly emptied the reel. 

 "Oh, no," replied the angler, "T will show you how to 

 land a large fish scientifically." 



No fisherman who ever landed black bass among the 

 many islands of Lake Erie could have handled this fish 

 with so much coolness and according to the rules laid 

 down in books, as did this gentleman. The line was kept 

 taut, the fish was permitted to move up stream, then 

 down, and a happier angler never cast a line than this 

 fisherman. There was not that look of anxiety that 

 creeps over a man's features when he is playing an un- 

 known fish, but a broad smile extending from ear to ear, 

 while his companion was carelessly feeling the nibble of 

 an ounce perch. There was no trouble for him to land 

 the fish at any moment, but he wanted to "practice play- 

 ing him." Suddenly, as if by magic, the fish came 

 around near the boat and made another leap out of the 

 water in full view of the angler. 



"My! Walcott, it's a black bass," cried Sanfleet, taking 

 a firmer hold of his rod. "That's different," 



Walcott dropped his rod, upset the lunch basket and 

 lost the string of fish to which he was adding a recently 

 caught perch. "It will weigh six pounds," he said, "try 

 him in this landing net." 



"There is quite a difference between a black bass and 

 an old dogfish. See him run ! Look at him trying to get 

 in the grass! Not much, my fine fellow," said Sanfleet, 

 jumping about the boat. His usually rosy cheeks had an 

 autumn color, and from the excitement wound the reel 

 the wrong way. This bass seemed to know the differ - 

 ence, for he certainly had more strength and performed 

 more deceiving and difficult movements than any fish 

 the gentlemen had ever seen. The lancewood tip was 

 instantly broken: ten minutes later the second joint was 



