﻿12 
  

  

  MUSSELS 
  OF 
  CENTRAL 
  AND 
  NORTHEEN 
  MINNESOTA. 
  

  

  State 
  and 
  carries 
  its 
  mussel 
  fauna 
  across 
  the 
  line 
  into 
  Canada. 
  It 
  

   therefore 
  becomes 
  of 
  great 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  conchologist, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   mussel 
  fisherman, 
  since 
  in 
  it 
  the 
  mussels 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley 
  

   reach 
  the 
  point 
  farthest 
  north 
  in 
  their 
  migrations. 
  In 
  consequence 
  

   of 
  the 
  long 
  continued 
  glacial 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  Mssissippi, 
  we 
  are 
  

   not 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  rich 
  mussel 
  fauna 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  

   table 
  : 
  

  

  Distribution 
  op 
  Mussels 
  in 
  Red 
  River 
  Group. 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Little 
  

   Pine 
  

  

  Lake 
  

   outlet. 
  

  

  Red 
  

   River 
  

   at 
  Per- 
  

   ham. 
  

  

  otter- 
  

   tail 
  

   Lake 
  

  

  outlet. 
  

  

  West 
  

  

  Lost 
  

  

  Lake 
  

  

  outlet. 
  

  

  Red 
  

   River 
  

   below 
  

   Fergus 
  

   Falls. 
  

  

  Anodontapepiniana 
  (paper-shell, 
  floater) 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   Anodontoides 
  ferussacianus 
  subcylindraceus. 
  

  

  Strophitus 
  edentulus 
  (squaw-foot) 
  

  

  Symphynota 
  costata 
  (fluted-shell) 
  

  

  Symphynota 
  complanata 
  katharinae 
  

  

  Lampsilis 
  luteola 
  ( 
  fat 
  mucket) 
  

  

  Lampsilis 
  ventricosa 
  (pocketbook) 
  

  

  Lampsilis 
  recta 
  (black 
  sand-shell) 
  

  

  Quadrulacoccinea 
  (round 
  pig 
  toe) 
  

  

  Quadrula 
  rubiginosa 
  (Wabash 
  pig 
  toe) 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  place 
  in 
  tliis 
  entire 
  drainage 
  that 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  worked 
  is 
  

   just 
  north 
  of 
  Fergus 
  Falls, 
  where 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  boys 
  gathered 
  

   and 
  shipped 
  a 
  carload 
  of 
  shells 
  to 
  the 
  button 
  factories 
  in 
  Iowa 
  in 
  

   1910. 
  AU 
  of 
  the 
  lakes 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  shallow 
  and 
  the 
  shells 
  must 
  

   be 
  gathered 
  with 
  rakes 
  or 
  forks, 
  or 
  picked 
  up 
  by 
  hand; 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   chance 
  for 
  crowfoot 
  dredges. 
  

  

  QUALITY 
  OF 
  SHELLS. 
  

  

  The 
  mucket, 
  the 
  pocketbook, 
  and 
  the 
  fluted 
  shell 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  

   commercial 
  mussels 
  in 
  the 
  Red 
  River. 
  The 
  black 
  sand-shell 
  is 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  shell 
  of 
  them 
  all 
  in 
  quaUty, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  always 
  has 
  a 
  

   dark 
  pm'ple 
  nacre 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  only 
  for 
  novelties. 
  In 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  

   northern 
  sand-sheUs, 
  the 
  hinge 
  line, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  straight 
  {recta), 
  

   is 
  strongly 
  curved. 
  But 
  as 
  it 
  conforms 
  in 
  other 
  particulars 
  to 
  a 
  

   normal 
  recta, 
  it 
  see^ns 
  best 
  to 
  regard 
  tliis 
  merely 
  as 
  a 
  local 
  variation. 
  

   The 
  pocketbooks 
  also 
  are 
  peculiar 
  in 
  being 
  much 
  flattened, 
  somewhat 
  

   elongated, 
  and 
  mth 
  short 
  and 
  stumpy 
  teeth, 
  very 
  much 
  hke 
  the 
  

   variety 
  designated 
  by 
  Lea 
  as 
  TJnio 
  canadensis. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  muckets 
  

   have 
  shells 
  as 
  thick 
  and 
  heavy 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Croix 
  dramage, 
  but 
  

   there 
  are 
  others 
  whose 
  shells 
  are 
  thin 
  and 
  sometimes 
  dwarfed 
  like 
  

   lake 
  specimens. 
  

  

  The 
  shells 
  of 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  mussels 
  which 
  have 
  a 
  wliite 
  nacre 
  are 
  

   badly 
  stained. 
  These 
  stains 
  vary.from 
  a 
  light-gray 
  or 
  drab 
  to 
  a 
  dark 
  

   rusty 
  brown 
  in 
  color. 
  Sometimes 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  discoloration 
  

  

  