THE NAUTILUS. 103 



for Savanna, Illinois, our objective point. The ride consumed sev- 

 eral hours and we arrived in sight of the Mississippi about noon. 



Our first thought was for the " inner man," and we hastened in a 

 body to the river bank, where we bargained with the boat renters 

 and secured row-boats. No sooner were our bargains completed than 

 we scrambled into our boats and rowed across the river toward a 

 group of islands, where we ate our lunches. 



The, pull across the river was very interesting, especially to several 

 of the " co-eds," who bravely volunteered to row one or two of the 

 boats, for there was a seven-mile current which made this a matter 

 of great exertion. The writer had never before seen the '' Father of 



o 



Waters," and he must confess that a peculiar feeling came over him 

 as he rowed across the swiftly-flowing stream and thought of the 

 many historic scenes which had taken place on or near this mighty 

 river since De Soto first saw it. But the most interesting fact to him 

 in connection with this river was that it afforded a home for more 

 Unios than any other stream in the world. 



As soon as lunch was out of the way we began a hunt for clams, 

 and before the time arrived for the departure of our train we had 

 accumulated several bushels, beside numerous examples of fresh- 

 water gastropods, such as Campeloma and Vivipara. 



About a mile above Savanna we found several men engaged in 

 " fishing" for clams, which they sold to the button-factories at Mus- 

 catine and other places in Iowa and Illinois. Their method of fishing 

 was ingenious. A bar of iron (frequently a gas pipe) six or seven 

 feet long is strung with four-pronged hooks, made of bent and twisted 

 telegraph wire. The strings are about five inches apart and two or 

 three hooks are attached to each string, making two or three rows of 

 hooks attached to the bar. As many as forty hooks are frequently 

 strung on one bar, the whole appliance being locally known as a 

 " crowfoot " dredge or grapple. A piece of rope is tied near each 

 end of the bar, forming a sort of bridle, and to this is fastened an- 

 other rope, twenty-five or more feet in length, by which the dredge 

 is pulled over the bottom of the river. 



At first sight one would hardly suppose that with such an instru- 

 ment a person would be able to gather very many clams, but the 

 fishermen told us that several tons could be obtained with this appa- 

 ratus in a comparatively short time, The clams are caught in this 

 way : in many parts of the river the Unios lie packed by thousands, 



