MUSSELS OF CUMBERLAND RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES. 



35 



the shells being younger. Quadrula perplicata, called locally the 

 "round lake," is the pearl bearer here. 



Hauls Made at Red Rock Bar. 



Trices Landing is 1^ miles below Clarksville and the conditions 

 are almost exactly the same as at Red Rock bar, except that the 

 bed is full of "hang-ups," and therefore not fished commercially. 



At Meeks Spring bar, about 8 miles below Clarksville, some fine 

 springs enter the river, one of which has its outlet richly incrusted 

 with diatomaceous scum. The current was very slow and the water 

 unusually clear over a bottom of coarse gravel. This bed has been 

 fished for 10 years and 500 or 600 tons of shells have been taken from 

 it. Most of the 0. reflexa and Q. fragosa were found cleaned at 

 muskrat holes and were practically the only shells there. The yellow 

 sand-shell and the rabbit's foot had been going shoreward during a 

 previous rise in the river, but turned and went back when the water 

 fell. Many of these sand-shells were gravid June 10 and were used 

 in making a plant of mussels in the river at Clarksville. 



The Red River is the only tributary of any size that enters the 

 lower Cumberland from the north. No mussels could be found for 

 several miles above its mouth, probably because the bottom was 

 found to be covered with soft mud which shifted considerably during 

 high water. 



At Ringgold, on the west fork of the river, there is a high milldam, 

 which backs the water up for several miles. No mussels were found 

 above this dam, and below it they were rather scarce and all of small 

 species. Several L. multiradiata were found which showed no rays, 

 a few L. vanuxemensis , and one live L. glans. This proved to be the 

 only place where vanuxemensis occurred. 



Mr. Boepple visited Port Royal, at the junction of the two forks of 

 Red River, on June 14. The river here is not large and is shallow 



