﻿38 
  MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  1. 
  Purple 
  Warty-back, 
  Quadrula 
  granifera 
  (Lea). 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  

   rather 
  rare 
  shell 
  in 
  the 
  IlHnois, 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  examples 
  were 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  upper 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  shell-producmg 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  

   Chillicothe, 
  Peoria, 
  Havana, 
  and 
  Bath. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  inflated 
  shell, 
  heaA^ 
  

   anteriorly, 
  and 
  reaches 
  a 
  good 
  size, 
  but 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  dull 
  purple 
  

   nacre 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  now 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  buttons. 
  After 
  the 
  

   cooking-out 
  process, 
  this 
  shell 
  is 
  discarded 
  by 
  the 
  mussel 
  fishermen 
  

   as 
  wortldess. 
  The 
  purple 
  warty-backs, 
  paper-shells, 
  lady-fingers, 
  

   and 
  other 
  culls 
  are 
  gathered 
  along 
  Avith 
  the 
  commercial 
  species, 
  and 
  

   although 
  they 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  particular 
  value, 
  they 
  are 
  saved 
  

   for 
  the 
  meats 
  for 
  fish 
  bait, 
  and 
  also 
  because 
  they 
  occasionally 
  produce 
  

   good 
  pearls. 
  

  

  2. 
  PuEPLE 
  Warty-bace;, 
  Quadrula 
  tuherculata 
  (Rafinesque). 
  — 
  

   Rare; 
  some 
  examples 
  of 
  this 
  mussel 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  stretches 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  swifter, 
  as 
  below 
  the 
  Government 
  

   locks 
  at 
  La 
  Grange, 
  at 
  Diamond 
  Island, 
  and 
  at 
  Hardin. 
  There 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  gradual 
  change 
  from 
  the 
  inflated 
  granifera 
  

   of 
  the 
  upper 
  stretches, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  current 
  and 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  is 
  composed 
  largely 
  of 
  soft 
  mud, 
  to 
  the 
  much 
  flatter 
  tuberculaia 
  

   of 
  the 
  lower 
  river 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  harder 
  and 
  the 
  current 
  is 
  

   stronger. 
  This 
  shell, 
  like 
  the 
  granifera, 
  has 
  a 
  dull 
  purple 
  nacre, 
  and 
  

   at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  has 
  no 
  commercial 
  value. 
  

  

  3. 
  NiGGERHEAD, 
  Quodrula 
  ebena 
  (Lea). 
  — 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  good 
  

   size, 
  fiirm 
  texture, 
  and 
  fine 
  pearly 
  luster 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  

   button 
  shell 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  Near 
  the 
  tips 
  it 
  produces 
  a 
  few 
  

   iridescent 
  buttons. 
  Although 
  widely 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   entire 
  river, 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  so 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  stretches 
  that 
  often 
  

   only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  examples 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  ton 
  of 
  sheUs. 
  In 
  the 
  lower 
  

   third 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  better; 
  the 
  number 
  may 
  run 
  as 
  

   high 
  as 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  per 
  cent. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  stated 
  that 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  years 
  

   ago 
  the 
  ebena 
  and 
  ligamentina 
  (mucket) 
  were 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  in 
  many 
  

   beds 
  of 
  the 
  Illinois, 
  though 
  the 
  indications 
  are 
  that 
  the 
  former 
  was 
  

   never 
  very 
  plentiful. 
  

  

  Some 
  mussel 
  fishermen 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  annual 
  deposit 
  

   of 
  sediment, 
  covering 
  up 
  the 
  beds, 
  is 
  one 
  reason 
  for 
  their 
  dunmution. 
  

   Mr. 
  J. 
  F. 
  Mayes, 
  of 
  Meredosia, 
  111., 
  has 
  tried 
  an 
  experiment 
  along 
  tliis 
  

   line, 
  and 
  states 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  washboard 
  (heros), 
  niggerhead 
  {ebena], 
  and 
  

   a 
  mucket 
  (ligamentina) 
  are 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  bucket 
  and 
  water 
  and 
  sand 
  

   are 
  added 
  only 
  the 
  washboard 
  will 
  reach 
  the 
  surface; 
  the 
  othei-s 
  wall 
  

   be 
  suffocated. 
  This 
  may 
  explain 
  the 
  situation 
  for 
  some 
  beds 
  where 
  

   the 
  silting 
  occui-s 
  rapidly 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   dormant, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  satisfactory 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  river. 
  

  

  Some 
  examples 
  of 
  eben^ 
  taken 
  at 
  Peoria 
  and 
  Florence 
  have 
  the 
  

   umbones 
  wide 
  apart, 
  and 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  Call's 
  figures 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  

  

  