THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST 



VOL. XXXIII. 



NOVEMBER, 1919. 



No. 5. 



CANADIAN SPHAERIIDAE. 



By The Hon. Mr. Justice Latchford. 



There are few more fascinating objects of study 

 in natural history than the members of the family 

 of small bivalve mussels known as the Sphaeriidae. 

 They abound in the vicinity of Ottawa, and indeed 

 throughout the whole Nearctic region. The drain- 

 age area of the Great Lakes, and of their outlet, our 

 own St. Lawrence, may be regarded as the metro- 

 polis of the family in North America. Yet, as 

 Dr. Vincent Sterki recently pointed out,' the fauna 

 of the Great Lakes themselves is only fregmentarily 

 known ; but, so far as known, presents many 

 peculiar forms and possibly species. Still less are 

 we acquainted with the fauna of the vast areas 

 northward, extending from Newfoundland through 

 Labrador and across Canada to the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. In Prince Edward Island, Mr. C. Ives, of 

 Miscouche, has collected a few species. In the 

 vicinity of Ottawa, in Ontario and Quebec, con- 

 siderable work was done many years ago by the 

 members of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, 

 especially by Gilbert Heron, Dr. Fletcher, the Rev. 

 Geo. W. Taylor, and the writer. Officers of the 

 Geological and Natural History Survey, notably 

 Mr. W. Mclnnes, gathered some material m the 

 waters flowing into Hudson Bay. Little, however, 

 is known of the family as it exists over the far- 

 flung plains of the Canadian West. In Southern 

 British Columbia, Lord found and described two 

 new species,- and farther north, and on Vancouver 

 Island, Prof. John Macoun and Mr. Taylor collected 

 in a few localities. 



Heron died before reaching the prime of 

 his promising manhood. Fletcher, Taylor and 

 Whiteaves passed away all too soon — not, how- 

 ever, without having accomplished and recorded 

 achievements in various departments of natural 

 science that will long keep their memory green. Of 

 those who were active in the early days of the club 

 in collecting and studying the mollusca of Canada 

 only two remain. Prof. John Macoun and the writer. 

 One is spending the decline of his fruitful life in 

 distant Vancouver Island. The other for ten 



lAnnals of the Carnegie Museum, Vol. X, 1916, 

 p. 431. 



arroc. Zoo. Soc. of London. 186."?, p. 69. 



months of the year is far removed from his native 

 valley and concerned about matters but little re- 

 lated to natural history. Owing to lack of a leader, 

 Conchology has for some years been dropped from 

 the list of the club's activities. With such wide 

 and productive areas open for original investigation, 

 the want of interest shown is greatly to be regretted. 

 It is not so much to publish a record of wor!: as a 

 member of the club as to arouse fresh interest in 

 others, and to facilitate the collection and study of 

 our most numerous and least known shells that the 

 following observations are submitted. My hope 

 is that some of our younger members may be in- 

 duced to devote a part of their leisure to what I 

 am sure they will find a delightful diversion, both 

 out of doors and over their cabinets. 



The Sphaeriidae are small in size, only a few 

 species exceeding half-an-inch in length. As they 

 ordinarily lie buried — though only slightly — in the 

 sand or other material at the bottom of streams, 

 ponds and lakes, they are seldom seen — never, in- 

 deed, unless where, in very dry seasons, the water 

 has receded or evaporated, when the shells may 

 sometimes be observed on the exposed surface. But 

 so generally are they distributed that it might almost 

 be said they are to be found — they should certainly 

 be looked for — wherever there is water that is not 

 within the category known to golfers as "casuil." 

 Yet mere depressions that contain water for but 

 short periods in any year often yield these and 

 several other fluviatile shells. 



To collect in quantity, except under conditions 

 which seldom exist, a dredge of some kind is re- 

 quired. The beginner will find that a common 

 bowl-shaped wire stramer will best serve his pur- 

 pose. The size I find most useful has twelve meshes 

 to the inch, and is six inches in diameter. I remjve 

 the handle and rim, which are too flexible and soon 

 break, and substitute narrow, stiff, hoop-iron ; but 

 good results may be obtained without making .such 

 a change. The handle must be extended for all 

 but very shallow water by whipping it firmly 'o a 

 walking cane or light pole. On sifting in water 

 the material raised by the dredge the shells will be 



