FISHES OF THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN. 335 



getting into an old boat we dipped out a few examples of Leudscus 

 neogceus. This fish swarmed by thousands around the month of a little 

 spring that helped to feed the lake. We saw no other fish, but were 

 told that suckers had been taken from it. The owner was contemplat- 

 ing stocking it with carp. The lake has an outlet, but at the time of 

 our visit there was no overflow water. 



Spearfish Creel'. — This is by far the most picturesque of all the streams 

 of the Black Hills seen by us. It has its source on the limestone divide 

 between Crook Tower and Custer Peak, and after cutting a rough and 

 interesting canyon through a belt of quartzite, shale, and igneous rocks, 

 enters the limestone formation encircling the Hills, and unites its waters 

 with those of Bed water Creek not far from Belle Fourche. We examined 

 Spearfish Creek at the town of Spearfish, where it was 30 feet wide, 1 

 foot or more deep, and with a swift current. The temperature was 68° 

 in one place and 70° in another, August 3. On October 7, at 11 a. in., 

 it was 45° when the air was 01°. The bottom was gravelly and there 

 was considerable vegetation along the banks. From it we took Salve- 

 linus fontinalis (planted), Pantosteus jordani, and Rhinichthys cataractcB 

 dulcis. The stream is a very fine one, indeed. The bulk of its water 

 comes fresh from the hills, but even at Spearfish there are some fine 

 springs. One in particular had a temperature of 52° and discharged 

 2.250 gallons per minute. The gentleman who owned it had a number 

 of brook trout in a small pool formed by the spring. The bottom is in 

 most places moderately coarse gravel of sandstone, chert, and quartz. 

 There is but little vegetation except in the deeper holes, where there is 

 some Cham and where the bottom is of stiff white clay. The banks 

 are from 1 to 5 feet high in the little valley. The immediate banks are 

 in most places pretty well covered with a growth of cottonwood, ash, 

 elm, oak, etc. Further back and on the hills were a few pines. 



About 12 miles above the town of Spearfish are Spearfish Falls, where 

 the stream descends several feet in a series of very beautiful cascades. 

 Below these falls 5 or miles are two considerable and picturesque 

 rapids; the more important one, known as Dickson Rapids, is about 

 2,200 feet long and falls 96 feet in that distance. Just above the town 

 are several important springs. One of these, which may be designated 

 as the upper spring, flows about 375 gallons per minute and has a tem- 

 perature of 49° to 50°. The outlet of this spring soon receives the 

 water from a number of smaller springs and the total flow amounts to 

 about 1,100 gallons. Above the mill some distance from the town is 

 KrolFs Spring, which has a temperature of 47° and flows about 500 

 gallons. A little further up is the Randall Spring, with a temperature 

 of 47° and flowing about 800 gallons per minute. If fish cultural work 

 should ever be undertaken at any place in the Black Hills, the most 

 satisfactory natural conditions could probably be found here. 



Crow Creel: — This was visited at Gammon's ranch, not far from 

 Beulah. It is a small, sluggish stream, excessively full of suckers and 

 minnows. 



