﻿MUSSELS 
  OF 
  CENTEAL 
  AND 
  NORTHERN 
  MINNESOTA. 
  25 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  found 
  here 
  the 
  fat 
  muckct 
  (Juteola), 
  Anodonta 
  peinniana 
  

   and 
  Anodontoides. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  muckets 
  were 
  dwarfed 
  and 
  thin- 
  

   shelled, 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  percentage 
  were 
  full-size 
  and 
  had 
  moderately 
  

   thick 
  shells. 
  

  

  Battle 
  Lake 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  central 
  portion 
  of 
  Ottertail 
  County 
  

   and 
  empties 
  into 
  the 
  Red 
  River. 
  It 
  is 
  6 
  miles 
  long 
  by 
  3 
  miles 
  wide. 
  

   It 
  has 
  a 
  bottom 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel 
  sparsely 
  covered 
  with 
  aquatic 
  

   vegetation, 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  very 
  clear 
  and 
  cold. 
  The 
  fat 
  muckets 
  

   here 
  were 
  small 
  and 
  dwarfed 
  and 
  approached 
  very 
  closely 
  the 
  species 
  

   known 
  as 
  rosacea. 
  They 
  were 
  easily 
  eroded, 
  and 
  the 
  epidermis 
  on 
  

   exposed 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  became 
  absolutely 
  snow-white. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  there 
  were 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Anodonta, 
  viz, 
  pepiniana 
  and 
  

   Jcennicotti, 
  and 
  Anodontoides. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  shells, 
  including 
  the 
  

   muckets, 
  were 
  worthless 
  from 
  a 
  commercial 
  standpoint. 
  

  

  Neither 
  Battle 
  Lake 
  nor 
  Lake 
  Osakis 
  has 
  a 
  fish 
  hatchery, 
  but 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  they 
  possess 
  as 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  as 
  those 
  at 
  Lake 
  Minne- 
  

   waska, 
  and 
  are 
  as 
  convenientl}" 
  situated. 
  Consequently, 
  if 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  at 
  Lake 
  Minnewaska 
  proved 
  successful, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  an 
  easy 
  

   matter 
  to 
  repeat 
  them 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  lakes. 
  

  

  SUMMARY. 
  

  

  1. 
  Fat 
  muckets 
  (Lampsilis 
  luteola) 
  with 
  exceptionally 
  thick 
  shells, 
  

   and 
  making 
  first-grade 
  button 
  material, 
  are 
  plentiful 
  in 
  Pokegama 
  and 
  

   Cross 
  Lakes, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Snake 
  River, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  Lake 
  Pepin. 
  They 
  

   are 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  lakes 
  or 
  rivers 
  which 
  were 
  examined. 
  

  

  2. 
  Pocketbooks 
  {L. 
  ventricosa) 
  of 
  unusual 
  size 
  and 
  luster 
  are 
  

   abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Shell 
  River 
  and 
  Twin 
  Lakes 
  near 
  Menahga 
  and 
  else- 
  

   where 
  throughout 
  the 
  Crow 
  Wing 
  drainage 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Sauk 
  River. 
  

   The 
  Crow 
  Wing 
  shells 
  are 
  of 
  superior 
  quahty 
  and 
  command 
  a 
  high 
  

   price. 
  Those 
  from 
  the 
  Sauk 
  River 
  are 
  so 
  brittle 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  them 
  

   worthless. 
  

  

  3. 
  Muckets 
  (L. 
  ligamentina) 
  are 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  Crow 
  Wing 
  and 
  

   its 
  tributaries 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  Mississippi. 
  They 
  are 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   good 
  button 
  material 
  that 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  this 
  species. 
  

  

  4. 
  Black 
  sand-shells 
  (L. 
  recta) 
  are 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  in 
  aU 
  the 
  rivers 
  

   visited. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  have 
  purple 
  nacre, 
  are 
  very 
  thick, 
  and 
  make 
  

   excellent 
  material 
  for 
  novelties. 
  The 
  only 
  exceptions 
  are 
  the 
  white- 
  

   nacred 
  ones 
  found 
  at 
  Menaliga, 
  which 
  are 
  excellent 
  button 
  shells. 
  

  

  5. 
  Pig-toes 
  (Quadrula) 
  are 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  St. 
  Croix 
  drainage 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  Red 
  River. 
  There 
  are 
  none 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  above 
  the 
  Falls 
  

   of 
  St. 
  Anthony, 
  nor 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  rivers 
  and 
  lakes 
  visited. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  three-ridges 
  were 
  badly 
  spotted, 
  but 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  pig-toes 
  

   were 
  of 
  first 
  quahty 
  and 
  would 
  make 
  good 
  button 
  material. 
  

  

  6. 
  Bemidji, 
  in 
  Beltrami 
  County, 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  center 
  from 
  wliich 
  to 
  

   work 
  the 
  upper 
  Mssissippi. 
  A 
  blank 
  factory 
  situated 
  there 
  could 
  

  

  