﻿26 
  MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  made 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  stretches, 
  which 
  did 
  not 
  reveal 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  

   conditions 
  for 
  mussel 
  beds. 
  The 
  banks 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  drift 
  or 
  mud, 
  

   and 
  the 
  low 
  bottoms 
  are 
  subject 
  to 
  overflow 
  in 
  times 
  of 
  liigh 
  water. 
  

   The 
  river 
  is 
  very 
  crooked, 
  with 
  numerous 
  large 
  bends 
  and 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  number 
  of 
  cuts 
  and 
  corresponding 
  fills 
  and 
  bars 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   side. 
  It 
  is 
  practically 
  a 
  depleted 
  stream, 
  as 
  relates 
  to 
  the 
  mussel 
  

   fishery, 
  though 
  the 
  upper 
  portions 
  are 
  more 
  favorable 
  for 
  mussel 
  

   beds, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  whether 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  profitable 
  to 
  restock 
  

   it 
  or 
  carry 
  on 
  propagation 
  work 
  to 
  any 
  extent, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  readily 
  ex- 
  

   hausted 
  in 
  a 
  season 
  or 
  two 
  by 
  pearl 
  hunters 
  and 
  others. 
  

  

  There 
  have 
  been 
  recorded, 
  20 
  years 
  ago, 
  from 
  the 
  Spoon 
  River, 
  

   about 
  38 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Unionidse.'^^ 
  The 
  commercial 
  species 
  listed 
  

   in 
  the 
  general 
  table 
  of 
  species 
  on 
  page 
  37 
  were 
  from 
  a 
  pearl 
  hunter's 
  

   pile 
  of 
  shells 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  river 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  season. 
  

   The 
  shells 
  were 
  excellent 
  in 
  quality, 
  and 
  large 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  washboards 
  (Q. 
  heros) 
  were 
  so 
  

   large 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  hardly 
  fit 
  into 
  an 
  ordinary 
  hat. 
  

  

  Sangamon 
  River. 
  — 
  The 
  Sangamon 
  River 
  is 
  about 
  1 
  70 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  

   and 
  has 
  a 
  drainage 
  basin 
  of 
  5,670 
  square 
  miles, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  

   of 
  the 
  tributaries. 
  The 
  lower 
  stretch, 
  formerly 
  very 
  winding 
  and 
  

   overflowing 
  the 
  lowlands, 
  has 
  been 
  straightened 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  ditch. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  conditions 
  of 
  this 
  river, 
  with 
  its 
  many 
  favorable 
  places 
  

   for 
  beds, 
  are 
  good 
  for 
  mussel 
  development, 
  and 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  

   better 
  species 
  could 
  be 
  easily 
  carried 
  on 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  made 
  to 
  yield 
  

   a 
  reasonable 
  annual 
  return, 
  provided 
  it 
  were 
  judiciously 
  fished. 
  A 
  

   station 
  was 
  made 
  near 
  Springfield, 
  III., 
  and 
  the 
  commercial 
  shells 
  

   found 
  there 
  are 
  listed 
  on 
  page 
  37. 
  The 
  shells 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  better 
  grade 
  

   than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  stream, 
  and 
  the 
  muckets, 
  niggerheads, 
  and 
  

   buckhorns 
  are 
  more 
  abundant. 
  About 
  100 
  tons 
  of 
  good 
  shells 
  have 
  

   been 
  gathered 
  this 
  year, 
  with 
  a 
  daily 
  output 
  of 
  400 
  to 
  500 
  pounds. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  fuie 
  pearls 
  and 
  slugs 
  were 
  found, 
  and 
  all 
  were 
  generally 
  

   of 
  a 
  rather 
  good 
  grade. 
  The 
  river 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  fairly 
  well 
  cleaned 
  

   out. 
  

  

  DEAD 
  MUSSEL 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  At 
  several 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  Illinois, 
  more 
  particularly 
  noticeable 
  

   in 
  the 
  lower 
  stretches, 
  there 
  are 
  evidences 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  of 
  old 
  

   covered-up 
  mussel 
  beds 
  which 
  lie 
  several 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  

   The 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  locks 
  at 
  La 
  Grange 
  stated 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  building 
  the 
  locks, 
  when 
  extensive 
  excavation 
  was 
  done, 
  a 
  

   dead 
  mussel 
  bed 
  of 
  some 
  extent 
  and 
  thickness 
  was 
  encountered 
  at 
  a 
  

   short 
  distance 
  below 
  the 
  present 
  surface, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  shells 
  were 
  lying 
  

   in 
  their 
  natural 
  position. 
  

  

  a 
  Strode, 
  W. 
  S., 
  M. 
  D.: 
  The 
  Unionidae 
  of 
  Spoon 
  River, 
  Fulton 
  County, 
  111. 
  The 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  

   vol. 
  XXVI, 
  1892, 
  p. 
  495-50L 
  

  

  