﻿20 
  PROPAGATION 
  OF 
  FRESH-WATER 
  MUSSELS. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  carrying 
  of 
  mussels 
  by 
  the 
  herring 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  interesting 
  

   example 
  of 
  a 
  fish 
  reported 
  from 
  salt 
  water 
  and 
  possibly 
  anadromous 
  

   acting 
  as 
  a 
  host 
  for 
  fresh-water 
  mussels. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  it 
  seems 
  

   probable 
  that 
  the 
  mussels 
  are 
  attached 
  during 
  the 
  stay 
  only 
  of 
  the 
  

   fish 
  in 
  fresh 
  water; 
  however, 
  it 
  supports 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  Simpson 
  

   (1899, 
  p. 
  282) 
  that 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  fresh-water 
  mussels 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   species 
  in 
  parallel 
  coastal 
  streams 
  can 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  their 
  being 
  

   distributed 
  by 
  fish 
  which 
  are 
  free 
  to 
  pass 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  one 
  

   river 
  in 
  the 
  ocean 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  another. 
  (See 
  also 
  White, 
  1905.) 
  

  

  The 
  blue 
  herring 
  seems 
  not 
  commonly 
  to 
  have 
  any 
  commercial 
  use^ 
  

   at 
  least 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  though 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  as 
  being 
  used 
  for 
  

   food 
  in 
  the 
  South. 
  Although 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  recognized 
  commercial 
  value 
  

   in 
  the 
  North, 
  its 
  really 
  great 
  value 
  becomes 
  apparent 
  as 
  the 
  host 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  sought-after 
  fresh-water 
  shell. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  herring 
  

   infected 
  by 
  another 
  species 
  of 
  mussel, 
  which 
  observation 
  is 
  of 
  interest 
  

   as 
  it 
  shows 
  that 
  this 
  fish 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  individual 
  host 
  of 
  the 
  niggerhead. 
  

   The 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  is 
  reported 
  (Jordan 
  and 
  Gilbert, 
  1882, 
  p. 
  266) 
  

   as 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  and 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley, 
  abundant 
  and 
  resi- 
  

   dent 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  larger 
  streams 
  and 
  introduced 
  through 
  the 
  canals 
  into 
  

   Lake 
  Erie 
  and 
  Lake 
  Michigan. 
  Twenty-six 
  years 
  later, 
  Forbes 
  and 
  

   Richardson 
  (1908) 
  re])ort 
  it 
  not 
  common 
  in 
  Illinois. 
  As 
  the 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  on 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  familiar 
  with 
  it 
  

   and 
  make 
  rather 
  few 
  catches, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  reports 
  of 
  its 
  having 
  been 
  

   abundant, 
  it 
  looks 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  much 
  less 
  common 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  

   than 
  formerly. 
  There 
  is 
  this 
  consideration, 
  however, 
  which 
  would 
  

   account 
  for 
  its 
  escaping 
  attention: 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  gamey 
  fish 
  requiring 
  

   special 
  means 
  for 
  its 
  capture, 
  and 
  not 
  being 
  sought 
  after, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   more 
  common 
  than 
  is 
  apparent. 
  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  corres- 
  

   ponds 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  mussel 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  find 
  any 
  

   extension 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  niggerhead 
  through 
  the 
  reported 
  access 
  

   of 
  Pomolohus 
  cJirysochloris 
  to 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  and 
  Lake 
  

   Michigan. 
  It 
  may 
  be, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  niggerhead, 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  

   natural 
  habitat 
  in 
  swiftly 
  flowing 
  streams, 
  could 
  not 
  thrive 
  under 
  

   lake 
  conditions. 
  

  

  Artificiol 
  infection. 
  — 
  Artificial 
  infection 
  was 
  not 
  undertaken 
  until 
  

   a 
  systematic 
  search 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  natural 
  host. 
  Up 
  until 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  August, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   host, 
  the 
  only 
  evidence 
  secured 
  was 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  four 
  infections 
  

   on 
  the 
  following 
  species: 
  Black 
  bass, 
  Micropterus 
  salmoides; 
  black 
  

   crappie, 
  Pomoxis 
  sparoides; 
  white 
  crappie, 
  Pomoxis 
  annulans. 
  There 
  

   were 
  only 
  one 
  to 
  four 
  glochidia 
  in 
  each 
  infection, 
  therefoie 
  they 
  were 
  

   not 
  as 
  conclusive 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  desired. 
  

  

  As 
  experiments 
  with 
  the 
  niggerhead 
  had 
  been 
  tried 
  by 
  other 
  workers 
  

   upon 
  these 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  without 
  success, 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  

   assumption 
  that 
  success 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  attained 
  in 
  these 
  cases 
  because 
  

  

  