The Nautilus. 



Vol. XVI. AUGUST, 1902. No. 4. 



COLLECTING TINIONID^ IN TEXAS AND LOUISIANA. 



BY L. S. FRIERSON, FRIERSON, LA. 



In .July, 1901, Dr. W. S. Strode, Mr. H. G. Askew, and tlie 

 writer, took a trip through eastern Texas, collecting Unionidoe. Dr. 

 Strode first took a " still hunt " on the Sabine river, at Loganport, 

 where he duplicated the experience of the Avriter, the results of 

 which have already been given the readers of >«'autii,us (xiii. 79). 

 We met Mr. Askew at Sheperd, a small town northeast of Houston, 

 and in close proximity to " Big creek," and Trinity river. 



From Big creek we obtained a few Lampsilis lienosus. This shell 

 had never before been obtained so far west, nor had it been listed as 

 a Texas species by Mr. Singley. The Trinity river, though shallow 

 at this time and place, was swift, with a sandy bottom, a combina- 

 tion not favorable to unio life, and we had therefore poor luck. "We 

 obtained some magnificent Quadrida pauciplicata ; big, glossy, black 

 and nearly devoid of plications. They were otherwise interesting on 

 account of tiie females being gravid, an unusual condition in this 

 group. It is a true Quadrula in this respect. Some very fine Q. 

 trapezoides were also taken. They were remarkably compressed, 

 and some of them were likewise gravid. They bore their young (or 

 eggs) in all four gills. This we believe has never before been noted, 

 and effectually places this species in the genus Quadnda, as defined 

 by Mr. C. T. Simpson, who placed it here without having the advan- 

 tage of seeing a gravid female. We captured a trio of Z. awphi- 

 chsenus, which extends both the habitat and size of this remarkal)le 

 species, one of them being 5^ inches in length. (The writer has 

 since obtained a dead shell from the upper Brazos river.) A fine 



