DEVILS LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA. 7 



Mud flats, very soft and yielding, with underlying black soil, fringe 

 its southern extremity and sustain tall rushes and cat-tails, at the 

 water's edge two years ago, but now 15 feet or more from the 

 shoreline. All remaining shore, where not lined with rushes or soft 

 yielding mud, has a gravelly beach. A species of waterweed 

 {Ritppia maritima) is found growing uniformly throughout the bay. 

 Fresh water from Court or Spring Lake, one-eighth mile distant, 

 seeps through the rushes into the southern end of this bay. The 

 density of the water was found to be 1.0058, the temperature 68° F. 

 This, perhaps, is the best part of the main section for the intro- 

 duction of suitable fish, owing to its protection from storms, its 

 narrow entrance easily guarded by a gate, the character of its bot- 

 tom, the depth, and the seepage of fresh water from the neighboring 

 Court or Spring Lake. A supply of young large-mouthed black bass 

 and catfish were introduced here during the investigation. 



EASTERN SECTION. 



Devils Lake, south of Lake and Minnewaukan townships, presents 

 the same conditions as appear in the section just described. It is 

 of an irregular shape, its length from the southern extremity of 

 Roque Island to Lamoreau Bridge is approximately 15 miles, and 

 its greatest breadth 3 miles. 



In general the bottom is muddy and at a uniform depth of 12 

 feet. The eastern portion is rapidly shoaling, and it was only with 

 difficulty that the passage could be made with a gasoline launch 

 drawing about 15 inches of water. Soft black mud, bearing a 

 growth of weeds that continually checked the progress of the boat, 

 was found to extend from shore to shore east of the Odessa Township 

 line. 



Minnows and sticklebacks {Pimephales promelas and Eucalia in- 

 constans) constitute the fish life and afford a plenteous supply of 

 food for the great flocks of sea gulls and terns. Many species of 

 ducks are numerous. 



Temperature and salinity observations were made at frequent 

 intervals, but no essential variation noted. The surface tempera- 

 ture averaged 70° F., the density 1.009. 



LAMOKEATJ BAY. 



This is a beautiful sheet of water extending in a southeasterly 

 direction for 6 miles, with a maximum width of about 2 miles. The 

 shore line does not exhibit the irregularities of other sections. The 

 density of the water was 1.008, the temperature 70° F. 

 42005—08 2 



