INLAND FISHERIES. 17 



portance, since the life iii the water is the expression of the water's 

 purity, average saHnity, and average temperature. If the water 

 in any portion of the bay becomes contaminated the life upon the 

 bottom is immediately affected, and this is shown either by the 

 migration of animals from the infected locality, or, in a case of 

 animals unable to move about rapidly, by their death. Many of 

 the animals found on or immediately below the surface of the 

 mud bear shells which exist for many years after their soft parts 

 have perished. It is possible, then, for one acquainted with the 

 facies of the shore fauna, to state what the probable biological 

 conditions have been. The animals which are found in colder 

 water oft" shore are strikingly different from those found in the 

 warm waters of the bay, as is beautifully illustrated by the distri- 

 bution of the several species of starfish. Your Commission, 

 therefore, has felt justified in recording, at considerable length, 

 the physical and faunistic conditions in the different portions of 

 the bay, and feels confident, in so doing, that they will materially 

 assist in the work of future years. 



Even in such a filthy portion of the Providence River as lies 

 north of Field's Point, there is still a remarkably rich assemblage 

 of life. This is in direct contradiction of what might have been 

 predicted, and is sufiicient ground for the belief that, with the ex- 

 penditure of a little care in the disposal of sewerage and manufac- 

 turers' waste, important food fish might actually be caught from 

 our wharves in sufiicient numbers to be of economic importance. 

 In this tract of the river two species of shrimp {OnDigoji Palce- 

 iiionetes) abound ; Sqa'dla, or mantis shrimp, are repeatedly taken. 

 Platyonichus, Panopeus, Call'mectes, and Lihuua represent the 

 more common species of crabs, while a small hermit {Eupagurus) 

 is taken at nearly every cast of the dredge. The following mol- 

 luscs and vertebrates were taken: Ihjanaissa, Venus, Mulinea, 

 Sycotypus, Myt'ilus, Tritia, My a, skate {Rid), flat-fish {Psendopleu- 

 roiiectes), and a pipe-fish (Sip/iosto/au). Starfish of small size also 

 grow in this locality. Farther down the river, between Rocky 

 Point and Rumstick, the water becomes relatively clean, and sev- 



3 



