﻿6 
  MUSSELS 
  IN 
  TEIBI7TAEIES 
  OF 
  UPPEE 
  MISSOUEI 
  EIVEE. 
  

  

  The 
  James 
  River 
  was 
  first 
  examined 
  at 
  Oakes, 
  N. 
  Dok., 
  from 
  

   whence 
  the 
  party 
  proceeded 
  by 
  rail 
  from 
  point 
  to 
  point 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  stopping 
  at 
  Columbia, 
  Frankfort, 
  Huron, 
  

   Riverside, 
  Milltowm, 
  and 
  Lesterville, 
  S. 
  Dak. 
  (See 
  map.) 
  

  

  The 
  Vermilion 
  River 
  was 
  examined 
  at 
  Parker, 
  Davis, 
  Centerville, 
  

   and 
  Vermilion, 
  the 
  latter 
  point 
  being 
  7 
  miles 
  above 
  its 
  mouth. 
  

  

  The 
  Big 
  Sioux 
  River 
  was 
  visited 
  at 
  Flandreau, 
  Dell 
  Rapids, 
  Sioux 
  

   Falls, 
  Canton, 
  S. 
  Dak., 
  and 
  Hawarden, 
  Iowa. 
  Examination 
  was 
  

   also 
  made 
  of 
  Lake 
  Karnpeska, 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Big 
  Sioux 
  River. 
  

  

  The 
  more 
  western 
  and 
  northern 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  generally 
  

   were 
  not 
  included, 
  although 
  side 
  trips 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  Bad 
  River 
  at 
  

   Philip, 
  S. 
  Dak., 
  the 
  Cheyenne 
  River 
  at 
  Wasta, 
  S, 
  Dak., 
  and 
  Rapid 
  

   Creek, 
  a 
  tributary 
  of 
  the 
  Cheyenne, 
  at 
  Rapid 
  City, 
  S. 
  Dak. 
  

  

  Some 
  species 
  of 
  mussels 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  every 
  locality 
  visited 
  except 
  

   in 
  the 
  streams 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri; 
  but 
  the 
  only 
  streams 
  containing 
  

   mussels 
  of 
  economic 
  quality 
  and 
  abundance 
  were 
  the 
  James 
  River, 
  

   between 
  Riverside 
  and 
  Lesterville, 
  and 
  the 
  Vermilion 
  River, 
  near 
  its 
  

   mouth. 
  It 
  may 
  weU 
  occasion 
  surprise 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  luxuriant 
  mussel 
  

   fauna 
  narrowly 
  circumscribed 
  within 
  what 
  is 
  otherwise, 
  for 
  mussels, 
  a 
  

   broad 
  and 
  barren 
  waste. 
  The 
  rivers 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  under 
  consideration 
  

   do 
  indeed 
  form 
  an 
  integral 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Mississippi-Missouri 
  

   system, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Unionidse 
  have 
  reached 
  their 
  greatest 
  develop- 
  

   ment; 
  but 
  the 
  James 
  and 
  the 
  Vermilion 
  Rivers 
  are, 
  by 
  water 
  con- 
  

   nection, 
  far 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  prolific 
  mussel 
  streams. 
  Consti- 
  

   tuting 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  mussel 
  plantations, 
  metaphorically 
  

   speaking, 
  these 
  particular 
  fields 
  are 
  within 
  the 
  abandoned 
  corner, 
  

   and 
  their 
  productivity 
  arouses 
  a 
  peculiar 
  interest. 
  Unquestionably 
  

   these 
  rivers 
  have 
  been 
  stocked 
  from 
  streams 
  lower 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  basin, 
  

   and 
  it 
  wiU 
  appear 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  facts 
  to 
  suggest 
  that 
  the 
  stocking 
  

   is 
  continued 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  though 
  occurring 
  somewhat 
  spas- 
  

   modically. 
  

  

  JAMES 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  The 
  James 
  (or 
  Dakota) 
  River 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  

   Wells 
  County, 
  N. 
  Dak., 
  and, 
  after 
  flowing 
  in 
  a 
  southerly 
  direction 
  

   for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  450 
  miles, 
  enters 
  the 
  Missouri 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  

   southeast 
  of 
  Yankton, 
  S. 
  Dak. 
  The 
  stream 
  itself 
  is 
  permanent, 
  

   although 
  it 
  is 
  practically 
  devoid 
  of 
  perennial 
  tributaries, 
  and 
  its 
  basin 
  

   is 
  long 
  and 
  narrow. 
  The 
  region 
  through 
  which 
  it 
  flows 
  is 
  covered 
  

   generally 
  with 
  the 
  glacial 
  deposits 
  of 
  the 
  Quaternary. 
  One 
  may 
  

   scarcely 
  speak 
  of 
  a 
  vaUey. 
  In 
  the 
  upper 
  portions 
  examined 
  the 
  river 
  

   flows 
  tlu"ough 
  a 
  seemingly 
  level 
  prairie; 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  sluggish 
  and 
  

   comparatively 
  wide 
  (80 
  to 
  100 
  feet), 
  with 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  1 
  to 
  2 
  feet 
  (Oakes, 
  

   N. 
  Dak.). 
  The 
  low 
  banks, 
  composed 
  chiefly 
  of 
  blue 
  clay, 
  are 
  subject 
  

   to 
  overflow, 
  while 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  soft 
  and 
  mucky. 
  Neither 
  live 
  mussels 
  

   nor 
  empty 
  shells 
  were 
  found. 
  

  

  