88 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVAL SEEYICE 



8 GEORGE V, A. 1918 



settle the problem, but I do not consider the undertaking worth the trouble or expense. 

 In the deeper parts of the river I was able to use the crow-foot bar but got no shells 

 except dead ones. The river may at one time have contained large quantities of mussels 

 but it seems too stagnant to make good clam beds possible. This condition also would 

 promote the growth of the vegetation now so abundant. 



Taking all conditions into consideration this area is of no value for mussel culture. 

 The shells that are there are perhaps only a remnant of a once larger supply and may 

 in time quite disappear. The L. luteolas found were fairly large but were badly stained 

 and seemed unhealthy. 



In order to make a careful survey of this locality I decided to further investigate 

 the cut and work my way to the east branch of the river to prospect for shells there. 

 The lower end of the cut is quite wide and approximates a small river, but we found 

 no clams with the exception of the bed near the bridge mentioned above. I was able 

 to determine that the upper part of the river's section between the cut and Grand Bend 

 does contain the commercial shell Q. undulata. At one place where I went into the 

 water to a depth of four or five feet, I found the hed to consist of fine clay mud quite 

 thickly covered with mussels of this species. They were, however, rather smaller than 

 usual. 



This river seems to be peculiar in having a very irregular channel as to width and 

 depth. At places it is shallow and narrow and then again it becomes wide and deep. 

 Shells seem to be quite generally distributed. Even at Ailsa Craig, which must be over 

 40 miles up the river from the cut, we found the species Q. undulata, L. ventricosa, L. 

 luteola and Unio gihhosus. They were not plentiful and of rather small size — too 

 small to be of much value. Good beds of shells may be found on a more thorough 

 investigation. In fact, I am inclined to think that the shells found lying in the shallow 

 places near Grand Bend and in the Canada Company Cut may be washed down from 

 native beds up stream from these points. Conditions in the lower stretches of the 

 river seem to be very favourable to mussel development even with the small flow of 

 water. 



I also investigated the river near its mouth at Port Franks, but evidently there are 

 no mussel beds of any importance there. No doubt the great quantities of sand carried 

 down during floods do not permit their development. 



It is singular that even small streams in this vicinity support mussels of commer- 

 cial value. At the mouth of Mud creek, a small stream near Port Franks, I found a 

 number of Q. undulata of fairly good size. Q. ruhiginosa and small luteolas were also 

 found here. Shells are reported to be plentiful further up this creek. 



In the vicinity of Grand Bend and Port Franks a considerable quantity of shells 

 should be obtainable by hand picking at low water. As the areas are not large, how- 

 ever, the supply would soon be exhausted. Since $20 per ton, delivered at the station, 

 has been offered for them, some enterprising man might find his labours well repaid. 



I should advise that the river above the Canada Company Cut be examined with 

 a view to determining its resources in mussel life. 



POINT EDWARD. 



On my arrival at the bay at Point Edward, near Sarnia, I was again several times 

 assured of the abundance of shells by men about the lumber yards. I obtained 

 a row-boat from the Spanish River Lumber Company, and crossed the North bay 

 (north of the Cleveland lumber tramway) in search of shells. The water here has an 

 average depth of about 3-5 feet and the shells are therefore readily obtained with a dip 

 net or by wading. The sandy bottom is free of weeds with the exception of the margins 

 near the marshy borders. As the water was clear I could readily see the bottom. I 

 found only sraall shells such as we find in any of our fresh water lakes, for example 



