KENTUCKY RIVER A:XD ITS MUSSEL RESOURCES. 5 



MUSSELS. 



The mussels of the Kentucky River are neither uniformly nor 

 indiscriminately distributed over a given mussel-bearing area but 

 are found more or less grouped in the sections having standard bot- 

 tom conditions. They occur, as a rule, more frequently at those 

 places with a penetrable bottom in the quieter waters and near shore 

 than in the swift portions and in the channel. The mussels are often 

 found densely crowded in the beds, standing on end, but so arranged, 

 if possible, that the tips of the shells point upstream. 



The 40 species of mussels found in the Kentucky River and here- 

 with listed probably do not represent the number occurring in the 

 drainage or even in the headwaters. Of the 40 listed species 22 are 

 of commercial value in button manufacture. The following table 

 gives the names and comparative occurrence of mussels, weight of 

 shells, and other considerations of value to the mussel fisherman and 

 the manufacturer. 



Mussels of the Kentucky River and its tipsfream forks. 



^ There is no common name in use for this species. 



The mucket, Lampsilis ligamentina, is the most valuable commer- 

 cial shell and the predominating species of the headwaters of the 

 Kentucky River. The shell beds, as a rule, average from 90 to 95 

 per cent of this shell. The following instances are cited to show the 



