﻿16 
  

  

  MUSSEL 
  EESOUECES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  The 
  bar 
  caught 
  136 
  shells 
  of 
  11 
  species; 
  with 
  the 
  dip 
  net 
  the 
  result 
  

   was 
  74 
  live 
  shells 
  of 
  18 
  species. 
  The 
  first, 
  however, 
  produced 
  nearly 
  

   twice 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  commercial 
  shells, 
  but 
  it 
  took 
  more 
  than 
  twice 
  

   the 
  time 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  haul; 
  also 
  the 
  shells 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  one 
  by 
  one 
  

   from 
  the 
  hooks, 
  while 
  the 
  dip 
  net 
  was 
  dumped 
  at 
  once 
  into 
  the 
  boat, 
  

   and 
  the 
  trash 
  and 
  dead 
  shells 
  were 
  thrown 
  back. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Oscar 
  Nash, 
  who 
  assisted 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  on 
  this 
  bed, 
  stated 
  that 
  

   in 
  1909 
  he 
  obtained 
  here 
  14 
  tons 
  in 
  17 
  days 
  and 
  sold 
  them 
  for 
  S18 
  

   per 
  ton. 
  

  

  Table 
  7. 
  — 
  Comparison 
  of 
  Hauls 
  Made 
  with 
  the 
  Dip 
  Net 
  and 
  the 
  Mussel 
  Bars. 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Blue 
  point 
  

  

  Three-ridge 
  o 
  

  

  Warty-back 
  

  

  Wasliboard 
  a 
  

  

  Pig-toe 
  

  

  Lady 
  finger 
  

  

  Mucket 
  

  

  Fat 
  mucket 
  , 
  

  

  Three-horned 
  shell. 
  

   White 
  heel 
  splitter. 
  

   Pink 
  hatchet 
  back.. 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  shells. 
  

  

  Dip 
  net. 
  Bar 
  

  

  102 
  

   15 
  

   3 
  

   1 
  

   6 
  

   2 
  

   2 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  shells. 
  

  

  Species 
  

  

  Paper 
  shell 
  

  

  Rock 
  shell 
  

  

  Maple-leaf 
  

  

  Black 
  sand 
  shell 
  

  

  Deer-toe 
  

  

  A 
  nodonta 
  i 
  mbecillis 
  . 
  . 
  

   A 
  nodonta 
  corpulcnta. 
  

   Plagiola 
  donaciformis 
  

   Quadrula 
  fragosa 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  Dip 
  net. 
  Bar. 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  washboards 
  and 
  three-ridges 
  are 
  found 
  mostly 
  in 
  the 
  channel. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Mossville 
  Flats, 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  narrows, 
  there 
  were 
  four 
  

   camps 
  in 
  operation, 
  and 
  about 
  30 
  tons 
  of 
  good 
  shells, 
  largely 
  blue 
  

   points, 
  and 
  muckets, 
  with 
  fewer 
  washboards, 
  and 
  some 
  pig-toes. 
  

   The 
  washboards 
  are 
  very 
  good 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  spotted. 
  In 
  this 
  vi- 
  

   cinity 
  one 
  man 
  with 
  a 
  dip 
  net 
  can 
  dig 
  1,000 
  to 
  1,200 
  pounds 
  in 
  half 
  a 
  

   day. 
  It 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  some 
  beds 
  here 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  even 
  touched. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  Peoria 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  center 
  of 
  shell 
  production. 
  

   During 
  the 
  mussel-fishing 
  season 
  men 
  from 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   go 
  there 
  fully 
  equipped 
  to 
  work, 
  as 
  the 
  dip 
  net 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  advan- 
  

   tageously 
  and 
  the 
  yield 
  is 
  exceptionally 
  good. 
  There 
  were 
  many 
  

   camps 
  at 
  Gatlin's 
  landmg 
  and 
  from 
  80 
  to 
  100 
  tons 
  of 
  shells 
  on 
  shore. 
  

   A 
  similar 
  condition 
  exists 
  just 
  above 
  this 
  place, 
  at 
  Averyville. 
  

   One 
  shell 
  buyer 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  purchased 
  600 
  tons 
  at 
  these 
  two 
  

   places 
  last 
  year 
  and 
  would 
  at 
  least 
  equal 
  it 
  this 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  percentages 
  of 
  the 
  dift'erent 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  camps 
  

   vary 
  considerably 
  accordmg 
  to 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  fished. 
  One 
  

   camp 
  of 
  six 
  to 
  eight 
  tons 
  had 
  the 
  following 
  percentages 
  of 
  shells: 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Blue 
  point 
  65 
  

  

  Three-ridge 
  15 
  

  

  Mucket 
  7 
  

  

  Washboard 
  5 
  

  

  Pig-toe 
  3 
  

  

  All 
  others 
  5 
  

  

  