MUSSEL EESOUECES OF THE HOI.STON AND CLINCH RIVERS. 9 



The investigation was continued by working down the river in a 

 small rowboat with a competent local guide. On the following day, 

 after collecting on many small shoals, the party reached Walker's 

 ferry, where a remarkably abundant mussel fauna was encountered. 

 Although the water was very clear it was difficult to see the mussels 

 on the bottom, and they were best taken with the rake. Several 

 tests were made by digging holes in the bottom, and mussels were 

 found in every case. In one instance a hole 2 feet wide by 2 feet long 

 was excavated for a depth of 10 inches, and 66 mussels, representing 

 10 different species, were taken. This represents an average of 16 

 mussels to the square foot of bottom surface, a very remarkable 

 degree of abundance. 



The following table indicates the approximate proportions in which 

 the chief species occurred: 



Per cent. 



Mucket 30 



Long niggerhead 10 



Fluted-shell 20 



Pig-toe 10 



Various small species 30 



A little farther down the river deeper water was encountered and 

 the crow-foot dredge was employed to advantage, taking large 

 muckets and pocketbooks. As before, mussels were found just above 

 the shoals and on the shoals. In every small shoal examined in this 

 vicinity it appeared that the greater part of the best shells had been 

 opened and thrown away by the pearl hunters. Although the shells 

 were muddy and dirty, they were found to be in good condition for 

 button manufacture. 



The commercial value of such shells was explained to the pearl 

 hunters, who were advised to seek a market for this material. It was 

 learned that few pearls had been found during the preceding summer, 

 so that a market for the shells was practically necessary to supple- 

 ment the income from the yield of pearls. It was estimated that 

 about three-fourths of the open mussels were of good commercial 

 value and that 2 carloads of shells could be obtained in the imme- 

 diate vicinity. 



The character of the bottom of the river and banks corresponds to 

 that hitherto described. The following species were observed to be 

 in breeding condition: Mucket (Lampsilis Ugamentina) , pocketbook 

 (L. ventricosa), black sand-shell (L. recta), fluted-shell {Symphynota 

 costata), oyster mussel (Truncilla perplexa), sugar-spoon (T. arcse- 

 formis), Iddney-shell (Ptychohranchus pTiaseolus) , and others. 



Large piles of shells made by the muskrats were examined on an 

 island, where it was noted that about one-third of the shells were the 

 spectacle-case (Margaritana monodonta) . From this point down, 

 the spectacle-case was found to be more abundant than before. Long 



