THE WATERS OF NORTH CAROLINA. 9 



western end of Albemarle Sound by several narrow mouths adjacent to the 

 mouth of the Chowan. The Dan is upwards of 400 miles long, and the area 

 drained by the two streams is about 5,600 square miles. The "fall-line" occurs 

 between Weldon and Gaston, the falls extending for about ten miles with a 

 descent of 84 feet. Above Weldon, which is about 130 miles above the mouth, 

 the bed of the river is usually composed of solid rock, but sometimes of gravel 

 and sand, and sometimes of clay, with banks of variable height and structure; 

 the width of the stream is considerable, and islands and exposed rocks are numer- 

 ous. Below Weldon the river's bed is generally sandy, with a few ledges, and 

 is comparatively narrow. The stream is subject to violent freshets, and has 

 risen as much as 50 feet at Weldon. For about half the distance from Weldon to 

 the mouth the ordinary rise is 10 to 30 feet, gradually diminishing toward the 

 mouth, where it is only about 2 or 3 feet. 



The Roanoke carries out into the southern half of Albemarle Sound an 

 immense volume of muddy water of a yellowish color, which is often seen 40 

 miles from its mouth, contrasting very strongly with the clear dark water brought 

 down by the Chowan. It appears that striped bass, white perch, and sturgeon 

 prefer this kind of water and can always be taken there in greater numbers than 

 on the northern side of the sound, where shad and alewives always occur more 

 abundantly. The fishermen have learned by experience that the larger run of 

 striped bass is in the Roanoke and the larger run of shad is in the Chowan. The 

 river is, in fact, one of the chief resorts of the striped bass and contains perhaps 

 the most important spawning grounds for the species. Other species of which 

 there is a numerous run in the lower Roanoke besides sturgeon, white perch, 

 shad, and alewives, are suckers, hickory shad, and gizzard shad. The non- 

 migratory species of greatest importance are cat-fishes, pikes, black bass, crappy 

 and various other sun-fishes, yellow perch, and wall-eyed pike. The common 

 flounder {Paralichthys) often ascends the river for several miles. The principal 

 fishes of the upper waters are suckers, minnows, sun-fishes, and darters. 



The Tar River rises in Granville and Person counties. North Carolina, near 

 the Virginia line, and, flowing in a generally southeasterly direction, terminates 

 in a long arm of Pamlico Sound known as Pamlico River. The largest tribu- 

 taries are Fishing Creek and Swift Creek. The river has an approximate length 

 of 175 miles, and drains an area of nearly 3,000 square miles. The fall-line 

 occurs at Rocky Mount, about 73 miles above the mouth. The stream is quite 

 similar to the Roanoke; the bed is composed of sand, gravel, clay, mud, or rock, 

 and the banks in the upper part of its course are comparatively high. At Rocky 

 ]\Iount a dam extends across the river from bank to bank, and constitutes a 

 barrier impassable to fish. The Pamlico River, which is about 37 miles long, is 

 entered by the common migratory fishes of the state, and supports important net 

 fishing; the same fishes continue up the Tar River until stopped by the dam 

 mentioned. The resident fishes of the Tar River are similar to those of the 

 Roanoke on one side and the Neuse on the other, and comprise an abundance of 

 cat-fishes, suckers, minnows, pike, sun-fishes, and darters, although the number 

 of species is rather small. 



