﻿MUSSELS 
  IN 
  TRIBUTARIES 
  OF 
  UPPER 
  MISSOURI 
  RIVER. 
  9 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  remarkable 
  shell 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  Huron 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  B. 
  Southall. 
  

   The 
  shell 
  clearly 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  identified 
  with 
  any 
  described 
  species, 
  

   but 
  as 
  further 
  search 
  failed 
  to 
  produce 
  another 
  example 
  it 
  scarcely 
  

   appears 
  justifiable 
  to 
  regard 
  this 
  unique 
  specimen 
  as 
  representing 
  a 
  

   new 
  species. 
  The 
  accompanying 
  illustrations 
  (fig. 
  1, 
  2, 
  and 
  3, 
  pi. 
  i) 
  

   give 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  form 
  and 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  shell, 
  wliich 
  seems 
  to 
  

   combine 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  three-ridge 
  {Quadrula 
  undulata) 
  and 
  the 
  

   fat 
  mucket 
  (Lampsilis 
  luteola). 
  The 
  question 
  is 
  often 
  asked: 
  Do 
  

   mussels 
  ever 
  hybridize? 
  The 
  present 
  example 
  may 
  suggest 
  an 
  

   affirmative 
  answer, 
  for, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  further 
  information, 
  the 
  

   crossing 
  of 
  two 
  known 
  forms 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  apparent 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  

   anomaly 
  presented. 
  Unfortunately, 
  the 
  pecuHar 
  characters 
  were 
  not 
  

   noted 
  until 
  after 
  the 
  shell 
  in 
  question, 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  others, 
  

   had 
  been 
  cleaned 
  and 
  the 
  meats 
  discarded. 
  

  

  At 
  Riverside 
  commercial 
  shelling 
  w^as 
  found 
  in 
  progress. 
  Here 
  one 
  

   fisherman, 
  with 
  an 
  assistant, 
  had 
  taken 
  20 
  tons 
  of 
  shells 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   date 
  of 
  our 
  visit 
  (July 
  27, 
  1913). 
  Approximately 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  

   shells 
  taken 
  were 
  the 
  three-ridge 
  {Q. 
  undulata). 
  Other 
  species 
  

   observed 
  were 
  Q. 
  coccinea 
  (flat 
  niggerhead), 
  Q. 
  postulosa 
  (pimple- 
  

   back), 
  Q. 
  lachrymosa 
  (maple-leaf), 
  L. 
  ventricosa 
  (pocketbook), 
  L. 
  

   luteola 
  (fat 
  mucket), 
  L. 
  recta 
  (black 
  sand-sheU 
  or 
  long 
  John), 
  L. 
  alata 
  

   (pink 
  heel-sphtter), 
  L. 
  gracilis 
  (paper-shell), 
  L. 
  fallaciosa 
  (slough 
  

   sand-shell) 
  , 
  Arcidens 
  confragosus 
  (rock 
  pocketbook) 
  , 
  Tritogonia 
  tuher- 
  

   culata 
  (buck-horn 
  or 
  pistol-grip), 
  and 
  Symphynota 
  complanata 
  (white 
  

   heel-sphtter). 
  

  

  The 
  three-ridges 
  were 
  of 
  medium 
  size, 
  clear 
  in 
  color, 
  and 
  not 
  heavy, 
  

   having 
  faintly 
  iridescent 
  tips 
  that 
  were 
  too 
  thin 
  for 
  buttons. 
  The 
  

   other 
  shells 
  generaUy 
  were 
  too 
  light 
  or 
  too 
  scarce 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  value, 
  but 
  

   a 
  few 
  pimple-backs, 
  maple-leafs, 
  and 
  fat 
  muckets 
  were 
  suitable 
  for 
  

   market. 
  

  

  This 
  fisherman 
  had 
  found 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  pearls, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  

   were 
  of 
  some 
  value. 
  An 
  interesting 
  fact 
  was 
  the 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  

   "dead" 
  pearls. 
  About 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  were 
  entirely 
  ''dead" 
  

   and 
  of 
  a 
  brown 
  color. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  perfectly 
  spherical. 
  

   Even 
  with 
  the 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  wortliless 
  material, 
  the 
  pearUng 
  was 
  

   evidently 
  not 
  unprofitable, 
  and 
  the 
  good 
  pieces 
  altogether 
  were 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  worth 
  upward 
  of 
  $500. 
  

  

  About 
  3 
  miles 
  below 
  Riveiside 
  there 
  was 
  another 
  fisherman 
  who 
  

   had 
  taken 
  out 
  about 
  15 
  tons 
  of 
  shells. 
  The 
  mussels 
  were 
  gathered 
  

   with 
  a 
  coke 
  or 
  coal 
  fork, 
  having 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  2 
  by 
  4 
  lumber 
  fastened 
  to 
  

   the 
  handle, 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  this 
  piece 
  being 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  

   the 
  river. 
  This 
  fisherman 
  had 
  a 
  novel 
  way 
  of 
  anchoring 
  his 
  boat. 
  

   At 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  a 
  hole 
  was 
  bored 
  through 
  the 
  bottom 
  large 
  

   enough 
  to 
  insert 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  l^-inch 
  pipe, 
  making 
  a 
  water-tight 
  joint. 
  

   These 
  perpendicular 
  pipes, 
  rising 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  gunwales 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  