﻿28 
  PROPAGATION 
  OF 
  FEESH-WATER 
  MUSSELS. 
  

  

  fins 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  gills. 
  The 
  remaining 
  species 
  shed 
  the 
  glochidia 
  in 
  

   from 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  days. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  successful 
  cases 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  parasitism 
  varied 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  11 
  

   days, 
  the 
  water 
  temperature 
  averaging 
  approximately 
  76° 
  F. 
  The 
  

   last 
  to 
  mature 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  filaments, 
  thus 
  indi- 
  

   cating 
  that 
  the 
  position 
  was 
  an 
  important 
  factor 
  in 
  determining 
  the 
  

   parasitic 
  period. 
  The 
  young 
  mussels 
  on 
  leaving 
  the 
  fish 
  show 
  no 
  

   appreciable 
  development 
  of 
  shell; 
  thus 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  minute 
  at 
  this 
  

   stage 
  and 
  probably 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  many 
  enemies." 
  

  

  Propagation. 
  — 
  Several 
  factors 
  favor 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  

   this 
  species 
  upon 
  a 
  practical 
  scale. 
  It 
  is 
  common 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  used 
  shells 
  in 
  the 
  button 
  industry. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   form 
  not 
  narrowly 
  restricted 
  as 
  to 
  hosts 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  iadicated 
  to 
  

   be 
  among 
  the 
  commonest 
  and 
  most 
  readily 
  obtainable 
  fishes. 
  

   Although 
  a 
  river 
  form, 
  its 
  habit 
  as 
  a 
  dweller 
  in 
  stiller 
  water 
  and 
  on 
  a 
  

   mud 
  bottom 
  makes 
  it 
  susceptible 
  to 
  propagation 
  or 
  control 
  under 
  

   conditions 
  readily 
  imitable 
  in 
  artificial 
  lakes 
  or 
  ponds. 
  A 
  continuous 
  

   water 
  supply 
  is 
  desirable; 
  my 
  observation 
  has 
  been, 
  however, 
  that 
  

   it 
  will 
  survive 
  rather 
  adverse 
  conditions 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  I 
  have 
  

   collected 
  many 
  Uve 
  specimens 
  from 
  a 
  slougli 
  which 
  had 
  gone 
  dry 
  to 
  

   the 
  extent 
  that 
  only 
  mud 
  remained. 
  Under 
  these 
  conditions 
  the 
  

   majority 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  mussels, 
  Anodonta 
  corpulenta, 
  had 
  died. 
  I 
  

   would 
  cite 
  also 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  accidentally 
  introduced 
  in 
  

   the 
  parasitic 
  stage 
  into 
  an 
  artificial 
  pond 
  at 
  Fairport, 
  Iowa. 
  The 
  

   pond 
  had 
  gone 
  dry 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  specimen 
  stiU 
  ahve 
  buried 
  in 
  mud 
  

   barely 
  moist. 
  It 
  is 
  evident, 
  I 
  think, 
  from 
  these 
  observations 
  that 
  

   the 
  species 
  is 
  hardy, 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  regards 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  common 
  

   vicissitudes 
  to 
  which 
  mussels 
  are 
  naturally 
  subjected. 
  

  

  The 
  Washboard, 
  Quadrula 
  heros 
  Say. 
  [PI. 
  ii, 
  fig. 
  14, 
  15.1 
  

  

  Tliis 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  handsome 
  of 
  American 
  

   fresh-water 
  mussels. 
  Its 
  unusual 
  size 
  adapts 
  it 
  to 
  special 
  uses, 
  and 
  

   in 
  some 
  locahties 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  being 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  

   pearl-bearing 
  species. 
  

  

  Distrihution. 
  — 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  system 
  generally; 
  Red 
  River 
  of 
  

   the 
  North; 
  Tombigbee 
  River, 
  Ala.; 
  southwest 
  to 
  Nuevo 
  Leon, 
  

   Mexico 
  (Simpson, 
  1900). 
  

  

  Ilahitat. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  large 
  rivers 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  and 
  on 
  muddy 
  

   bottoms. 
  

  

  Juvenile 
  (pi. 
  ii, 
  fig. 
  13). 
  — 
  The 
  juveniles 
  are 
  very 
  handsome 
  because 
  

   of 
  their 
  elaborate 
  shell 
  sculpture. 
  They 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   locations 
  as 
  the 
  adult, 
  viz, 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  on 
  a 
  mud 
  bottom. 
  

  

  GlocJiidium 
  (pi. 
  v, 
  fig. 
  35). 
  — 
  I 
  obtained 
  mature 
  glochidia 
  of 
  

   Q. 
  heros 
  September 
  24, 
  having 
  taken 
  early 
  embryos 
  August 
  24 
  and 
  

   immature 
  glochidia 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  August 
  28. 
  During 
  October, 
  in 
  

  

  • 
  See 
  p. 
  12, 
  footnote, 
  regarding 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  young 
  Q. 
  ■pustulosa. 
  

  

  