THE MUSSELS OF THE BIG BUFFALO FORK OF WHITE 

 RIVER, ARKANSAS. 



By S. E. Meek and H. Walton Clark. 



PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS. 



The Big Buffalo River drains a considerable portion of the north- 

 em slope of the Boston Mountains. It is a winding stream bordered 

 on its outer curves by bluffs, most of which rise perpendicularly from 

 the water to a height of 20 to 400 feet or more. In many places back 

 from these bluffs the highest mountains rise quite abruptly to a height 

 of about 1,500 feet above the river. The immediate banks were esti- 

 mated to be from 10 to 30 feet high. In many places where a root 

 hold can be had on the face of these bluffs stunted cedars are grow- 

 ing, and these become more numerous and taller along its upper 

 margin. The slopes and tops of the mountains support a considerable 

 forest of oak and pine. The river valley is narrow, which is also 

 true of all its tributaries. In dry weather the river is little more 

 than a creek, and such it is usually called by the residents; but in 

 wet weather it often becomes a raging mountain torrent. In its 

 lower course it has been known to rise 30 feet or more in one day. 



Prof. W. N. Gladson, of the University of Arkansas, to whom the 

 party was indebted for many courtesies, examined the river for 

 mussels between Boxley and a point about 10 miles above the ford 

 on the road from Harrison to Jasper. Xo shells were found in this 

 portion of the river except a few in the last mile or two. 



The bed of the portion of the stream visited varied in width from 

 about 30 feet to 200 feet. Over many shoals the water was not deep 

 enough to float the boats, which drew only about 5 inches of water, 

 and in the long, deep holes it seldom exceeded a depth of 6 feet. 

 Along the course of the river are many sand and gravel bars, which 

 seem to shift more or less with each freshet, leaving, perhaps, less 

 than half the river in anything like a permanent bed. 



Mussel beds, as compared with those on the AVhite River, were 

 neither large nor plentiful^ and these occupied only the favorable 



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