MUSSEL RESOURCES OF THE HOLSTON AND aiNCH 

 RIVERS OF EASTERN TENNESSEE. 



Investigation by J. F. Boepple. 

 Notes compiled by R. E. Coker, Ph. D. 



Early in October, 1909, Mr. J. F. Boepple, shell expert in the 

 employ of the United States Bureau of Fisheries at the biological 

 station at Fairport, Iowa, entered upon a brief investigation of the 

 mussel resources of the Holston and Clinch Rivers of eastern Ten- 

 nessee. Mr. Boepple having died before his notes were compiled 

 for publication, the information he obtained has been assembled in 

 the present form. 



HOLSTON RIVER, NEAR MORRISTOWN, TENN. 



The investigations were begun by Mr. Boepple in the vicinity of 

 Morristown, Tenn., where a pearl fishery was then in progress. One 

 of the regular pearl seekers having been secured as a guide, a visit 

 was made to the Holston River at Three Springs, about 14 miles 

 distant from Morristown, where the piles of discarded shells were 

 fii-st examined. Despite the fact that the only object of the fishery 

 as pursued at this place was the quest of pearls and the fishermen 

 were ignorant of the market value of shells, it was observed that the 

 discarded shells had a substantial commercial value for the purpose 

 of button manufacture. Examination of the mussel beds of the river 

 was also made, the principal shells obtained being muckets with 

 some three-ridges and a few long niggerheads. An interesting 

 feature of the beds at this point was the presence of numbers of very 

 young mussels which were found to hang from other shells "by 

 threads as fine as the filaments of a spider web." Several of them fell 

 off as the shells were brought from the water into the boat. Some 

 of these juvenile specimens as identified in the field were fluted 

 shells and muckets. 



Collecting in the river was pursued at various places, the result 

 being about the same in each instance; muckets were always the 

 principal shell taken. There were several small islands overgrown 

 with rushes where feeding places of the muskrats were found, and 



