The Newtown bee., 1905-01-27

struction of tho hatchery was begun. In the following fall the work was so far advanced the ponds were filled, 25 adult bass secured and wintered there.
 The following spring the unfinished work about the ponds was com pleted, and everything made ready for the ap- preaching spawning season. On May risen sto GA degrees Fahr., the first pair of bass spawned and during the next four days, eight nests were duly occupied.
 The male bass alone prepares the nest. In the wild state gravelly bot tom is selected in depth of from IS inches to three feet. All sand and sediment is cleared away, usually in a circular form from two to four feet in diameter, the size of nest depending on size of fish. The nest is made con- cave, the fish sweeping with it's tail all sand and SID aller pieces of stone to the outer edge leaving the larger pieces near the center. The gravel is made perfectly clean and bright, and | when this is finally accomplished, the the female. The female takes no part in the nest building and may be half mile away at the time. At the hatch cry spawning boxes were designed to form acceptable nests, and afford com plete control of the fry. The boxes proved very attractive to our bass, and at no time during the entire spawning period did they show the slightest in- clination to build nests elsewhere. When the nest is completed the build- CT is ready for mate. Having secur- ed a female in spawning condition, the pair enter the nest and the eggs are l HonnCifo6 a female leaves the nest and takes no further interest in it. A few days lat CT, she is quite likely to accept the at tentiOns of some other male and with him enter his nest, and again deposit eggs. The malec fish is not wholly ex- empt from such fckleness. Having been deserted by his first mate, he too is quite likely to pay his attentions to some other female in spawning condi- tiOn that happens near his nest. She will finally enter his nest with him and there deposit eggs, after which she in turn leaves and takes no further concern as to the future of her pro- geny. The male, now deserted by his second partner, is at liberty to take a third should one in spa wning condition appear, and she too will enter the nest and deposit eggs. Three times I have observed this triple mating at the hatchery, while double matings were of frequent occurrence. The eggs after being deposited, soon become attached to the gravel where they remain until matched.
 With the male we now have an ex- ample of parental watchfulness and care worthy of imitation. He takes entire charge of the nest, remaining just over the eggs, keeping up gentle | inn about over the nest in order to create a circulation of water which keeps tn e eggs clear of sediment. At no time after the first eggs are deposited, does the male fish leave the immediate vii cinity of it's rest should fish of any other variety, and particularly malC bass happen within the range of his vision, the intruder is immediately driven away, and the parent fish at once returns to its duty. Should the intruder happen to be female in spawning condition, and appear few hours after the first female had de- posted her eggs, the male is quite likely to entice her into his nest where she will spawn, and likewise a third female later From "A to 30 hours ap- pears to be the limit within which a male will give attentions to females in spawning condition. During this pe- riod he may have served three differ. ent females and fertlliZed nearly every egg, after which he attends strictly to matching the eggs, and protecting the brood.
 I was able to observe two instances where the male was in the act of serv ing two females at the same time In each instance both females deposited eggs. In the tail of one of these fe- males, a fish of over four pounds weight. I had placed a silver ring which would enable me to identify her beyond all doubt. She first spawned with Uncle Tom, the largest male in the hatchery on May IA, she being his second female, he having al , ready spawned with another female the day before. On the 23d inst, nine days later, this marked female was observed in company with another fe- male both in the act of spawning with a male whose nest was located at the farthest point possible in the hatch cry from Uncle Toms nest where the former had previously deposited eggs Here we have indisputable evidence that female may deposit eggs more than once during the Spawning season and that occasionally male may serve two females at the same time.
 In water temperature of GA to 7( degrees the eggs hatch in four or five days, the higher temperature the more rapid the development. A tempera ture much below 59 degrees is fatal and should the eggs be killed, the male deserts it's nest. It was found that eggs which had been deposited