REPORT ON THE STUDY AND APPRAISAL, ETC. i. 
dicated. In the remaining areas, the number of drags was in- 
creased from 3 to 4, to compensate for the reduction in the 
number of hooks, but otherwise the procedure was the same. 
Additionally, the john-boat had at its bow, a hand windlass 
bearing 300 ft. of stout, (5 in.) line, to the free end of which 
an anchor was attached. In proceeding from locality to lo- 
cality, the windlass was locked, and the boat towed by a 
separate piece of line. Two separate dredgings were also 
made of the bottom of the river in each locality, proceeding 
from the same initial point. The dredge used consisted of a 
heavy rectangular frame work of iron about 18 in. in length, 
6 in. in breadth, at the mouth, and 6 in. in height. To it was 
fastened a large and very closely woven net with the capacity 
of about a bushel, and with meshes varying from 1-16 to ly 
in. ‘The net was protected by a canvas cover attached at one 
end to the iron framework, and open at the other. Ropes, 
1% in. were attached to iron rings on the shorter side of the 
frame work, and these lead forward to a single rope 50 ft. 
in length, secured in the stern of the john-boat. The longer 
and outer edges of the iron framework were provided with 
coarse, triangularly shaped teeth, 4 in. in length, while the 
mouth was guarded by 4-5 stout iron wires, running ver- 
tically to the longer axis of the iron framework and spaced 
about 3 in. apart. The teeth provided for the dislodgement 
of shells and other materials from the bottom of the river, 
while the guards around the mouth prevented the ingress of 
very large gravel or other objects. Additionally, the length 
of rope with which it was attached, provided for reaching the 
greatest depth of bottom, while after the dredge was lifted, 
and the attached rope drawn in about 4-5 of its length, the 
launch could speed up, and thus most of the mud and sand 
obscuring the contents of the dredge washed away. By means 
of the dredge, a fair idea of conditions on the bottom of the 
particular locality could be determined. Such data would 
later be useful in connection with propagation experiments. 
(b). Collecting Mussels for study and appraisal. 
When it was determined to appraise a particular locality, 
a starting point was determined by methods shortly to be 
described, the windlass and the tow-line were released, and 
