152 College of Forestry 
9. Estimates or Toran VALUATION. 
It would be futile in view of the insuflicient and fragmen- 
tary character of the data at hand, to attempt to estimate the 
total amount of molluscan food in Oneida Lake. ‘To do this 
will require several seasons’ work and the accumulation of a 
vast amount of accurate data. Also, the values should be 
based on the dry weight of the animal after extraction from 
the shell. It may not be out of place to consider briefly what 
some of the estimates indicated in the quantitative tables 
mean when increased to cover large areas. Thus, a boulder 
habitat, 300 x 500 feet, such as that of Station XXV, where 
51 individuals were counted from an area one foot square, 
would contain 7,650,000 individuals. Again, a sandy bottom 
habitat, similar to that of Station XIX, where two counts 
indicated a population of 95 and 163 individuals respectively, 
would contain the enormous number of 65,000,000 indi- 
viduals in an area 1,000 x 500 feet, and areas larger than this 
occur along the shore, as west of Shepard Point. In the vege 
tation habitats, a pond lily zone 100 x 30 feet would contain 
30,000 individuals, estimating 10 per square foot. In the 
outlet, where the submerged vegetation gave a count of 174 
per square foot, and where there is an area fully 3,500 x 500 
feet, if the unit count is a fair average for this entire area, 
the enormous number of 304,500,000 individuals, mostly 
Bythinia, are present. These estimates might be extended 
indefinitely but the above examples will suffice to indicate 
the vast quantity of molluscan food in the waters of the lake. 
It is to be noted that this rich life is confined exclusively 
to the shallow area bordering the shores, an area usually not 
exceeding three-quarters of a mile in width and twelve feet 
in depth. In deeper water, of 12 to 16 feet, vegetation is 
scanty or absent, and there is a scattering fauna of bivalves, 
principally mussels. Only 17 individuals of 3 species were 
brought up after half a day’s dredging with the crowfoot 
dredge. With proper apparatus and time it will be possible 
to estimate with a fair degree of accuracy the amount of 
mollusean, as well as other life, in the waters of this inland 
