﻿14 
  MUSSELS 
  IN 
  TEIBUTAKIES 
  OF 
  UPPER 
  MISSOURI 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  At 
  Ceiiterville 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  dam, 
  forming 
  a 
  mill 
  pond 
  100 
  to 
  150 
  feet 
  

   wide 
  and 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  long. 
  At 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  this 
  pond 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   mussel 
  bed 
  of 
  fair 
  size, 
  the 
  whole 
  bed 
  containing 
  about 
  two 
  carloads 
  

   of 
  commercial 
  shells. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  some 
  men 
  

   were 
  gathering 
  the 
  mussels 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  pearls. 
  During 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  season 
  $500 
  worth 
  of 
  pearls 
  were 
  found. 
  The 
  pearlers 
  had 
  

   been 
  discarding 
  the 
  shells, 
  but 
  were 
  considering 
  placing 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  

   market. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  station 
  (Vermilion) 
  is 
  about 
  7 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   river. 
  As 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  navigable 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  here, 
  a 
  boat 
  was 
  

   hired 
  and 
  a 
  trip 
  7 
  miles 
  upstream 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  a 
  

   long 
  drainage 
  ditch. 
  Few 
  mussels 
  were 
  found, 
  and 
  these, 
  though 
  large 
  

   old 
  shells, 
  were 
  mostly 
  thin-shelled 
  species 
  and 
  were 
  of 
  no 
  value. 
  

   The 
  drainage 
  ditch 
  is 
  20 
  miles 
  long, 
  90 
  feet 
  wide 
  at 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  

   and 
  110 
  feet 
  wide 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  end. 
  It 
  was 
  begun 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  

   of 
  1911 
  and 
  opened 
  up 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  May, 
  1913. 
  It 
  was 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  straightening 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  

   furnishing 
  better 
  drainage 
  than 
  the 
  old 
  river 
  bed, 
  which 
  was 
  so 
  built 
  

   up 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country. 
  The 
  ditch 
  has 
  

   therefore 
  wholly 
  supplanted 
  the 
  old 
  bed, 
  leaving 
  it 
  high 
  and 
  dry. 
  

   Many 
  dead 
  mussels 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  what 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  deeper 
  portions 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  river. 
  The 
  mussel 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  20 
  miles 
  and 
  more 
  of 
  old 
  

   river 
  bed, 
  which 
  was 
  thus 
  exposed 
  to 
  view 
  in 
  its 
  entirety, 
  would 
  

   amount 
  in 
  all 
  to 
  about 
  three 
  carloads 
  of 
  large 
  shells, 
  averaging 
  

   considerably 
  larger 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  stream 
  or 
  mussel 
  bed 
  which 
  we 
  

   have 
  yet 
  encountered. 
  About 
  one 
  carload 
  of 
  these 
  shells, 
  the 
  best 
  

   and 
  most 
  available 
  ones, 
  have 
  been 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  In 
  all, 
  1 
  1 
  species 
  of 
  mussels 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  7 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  

   of 
  good 
  commercial 
  value. 
  The 
  commercial 
  species 
  are 
  Lampsilis 
  

   ventricosa 
  (pocketbook), 
  L. 
  luteola 
  (fat 
  mucket), 
  Quadrula 
  undulata 
  

   (three-ridge), 
  Q. 
  coccinea 
  (fiat 
  niggerhead), 
  Q. 
  lachrymosa 
  (maple- 
  

   leaf), 
  Q. 
  pustulosa 
  (pimple-back), 
  and 
  Symphynota 
  complanata 
  (white 
  

   heel-splitter). 
  Other 
  species 
  found 
  were 
  Lampsilis 
  alata 
  (pink 
  heel- 
  

   spUtter), 
  L. 
  gracilis 
  (paper-shell), 
  L. 
  recta 
  (black 
  sand-sheU 
  or 
  long 
  

   John), 
  and 
  Anodonta 
  corpnlenta 
  (slop-bucket). 
  

  

  EXAMINATION 
  OF 
  OTHER 
  STREAMS. 
  

  

  Big 
  Sioux 
  River, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  230 
  miles 
  long, 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west 
  part 
  of 
  Grant 
  County, 
  S. 
  Dak., 
  and, 
  after 
  flowing 
  in 
  a 
  southerly 
  

   direction 
  through 
  a 
  narrow 
  valley 
  in 
  the 
  rolling 
  prairie, 
  enters 
  the 
  

   Missouri 
  River 
  just 
  above 
  Sioux 
  City, 
  Iowa. 
  In 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  river 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  gravel 
  and 
  sand, 
  while 
  at 
  Dell 
  Rapids 
  and 
  

   Sioux 
  Falls 
  it 
  is 
  quartzite, 
  and 
  rapids 
  and 
  small 
  waterfalls 
  prevail. 
  

   The 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  its 
  lower 
  part, 
  from 
  Canton 
  to 
  the 
  mouth, 
  is 
  

   composed 
  of 
  fine 
  shifting 
  sand 
  and 
  silt. 
  

  

  