FISHES OF THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN. 333 



water was clear and pure and the bottom was covered with gravel and 

 bowlders. We seined it very carefully and secured several specimens 

 of Pantosteus jordani, several mountain trout, and a number of dace. 

 The water was not cold, being 70°. The banks were lined with box- 

 elders and a few low shrubs. 



Big Goose Creel; a stream similar to Tongue River and one of its 

 tributaries, hows from the mountains about 12 miles south of Tongue 

 River. Big Goose Creek is a stream nearly as large as Tongue River, 

 has a swift current, bottom covered with bowlders, and water clear and 

 very pure. All the streams in this region have irrigation ditches con- 

 nected with them, consequently the volume is much reduced outside 

 the canyon. Goose Creek was fished in two places, at Beck's ranch 

 about 3 miles from the mouth of the canyon, and at Sheridan. At the 

 former place we took several mountain trout, one dace, and a sucker. 

 At Sheridan we found the temperature of the water 02°, current 2 feet per 

 second, stream 35 feet wide and ranging 2 to 5 feet deep. The bottom 

 was gravelly, but in many places there were bowlders in addition. At 

 this place we took one species of sucker and two species of minnows. 



On Mr. Decker's ranch, about 10 miles northwest of Sheridan, we 

 examined a small brook which was fed partially by springs. The 

 largest spring we found discharged about 945 gallons per minute, and 

 when this amount of water was flowing the temperature was 05°. The 

 spring did not originate in any one place, but the water seemed to seep 

 from the banks along the spring brook. We did not take any fish from 

 either of these streams. 



Little Goose Creelc flows from the mountains some 7 or 8 miles south 

 of Big Goose and is very much smaller than the latter. We did not 

 fish in it, but found it a characteristic mountain stream similar to the 

 other except in size. At the town of Bighorn we visited an artificial 

 fish pond whose outlet is Little Goose Creek. The pond was fed by 

 a spring whose temperature was 51°. The temperature of the water at 

 the surface in the pond was 72°. At one edge of the pond there were 

 considerable alg;e and a very great amount of white water-crowfoot 

 (Batrachium trichophyllum). The owner of the pond was trying to 

 cultivate trout, but had not been successful. From appearances it is 

 possible that black bass would do much better than trout. • From 

 the overflow stream we took two species of minuows and one species of 

 sucker. 



The streams about Sheridan are the finest of any that we visited in 

 Wyoming, and were the most numerous for the region over which they 

 were distributed. They are nearly all fed by melting snow, and since 

 the snow does not entirely leave during the year, they never go dry. 

 They are all filled with bowlders and the currents of all were swift. Big 

 Goose and Tongue rivers are the longest, and have probably the most 

 picturesque canyons. 



Powder River was fished at Arvada, a watering station on the Bur- 

 lington and Missouri road. The bed of the river at this place was 250 



