﻿400 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Part 
  2 
  

   LIFE 
  OF 
  LITTLE 
  CLEAR 
  CREEK 
  

  

  This 
  tranquil 
  little 
  stream 
  (pi. 
  3), 
  once 
  famous 
  for 
  its 
  trout 
  fishing, 
  

   traverses 
  the 
  hatchery 
  grounds, 
  and 
  disappears 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  below 
  under 
  

   a 
  canopy 
  of 
  overarching 
  alders. 
  It 
  leaves 
  the 
  pond 
  at 
  present 
  by 
  a 
  little 
  

   artificial 
  fall, 
  runs 
  through 
  a 
  big, 
  tubular 
  iron 
  culvert 
  under 
  the 
  railroad, 
  

   tumbling 
  over 
  a 
  little 
  bed 
  of 
  stones 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  culvert, 
  and 
  then 
  

   traverses 
  a 
  narrow 
  bit 
  of 
  brookside 
  meadow, 
  bordered 
  by 
  spring 
  bog 
  full 
  

   of 
  balsam 
  trees. 
  Then 
  it 
  enters 
  the 
  fish 
  ponds. 
  Passing 
  the 
  hatchery, 
  

   and 
  all 
  the 
  fish 
  gates, 
  it 
  is 
  free 
  again 
  for 
  a 
  little 
  open 
  space 
  before 
  enter- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  woods 
  below. 
  From 
  the 
  pond 
  to 
  the 
  woods 
  below 
  the 
  hatchery 
  

   is 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile; 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  short 
  space 
  the 
  following 
  

   studies 
  were 
  made. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  undisturbed 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  course 
  the 
  brook 
  gUdes 
  alternately 
  

   over 
  beds 
  of 
  rippled 
  reddish 
  sand 
  or 
  percolates 
  through 
  tangled 
  mats 
  of 
  

   river 
  weed, 
  Potamogeton, 
  and 
  stonework, 
  N 
  i 
  t 
  e 
  1 
  1 
  a 
  , 
  or 
  clumps 
  of 
  

   bur 
  reed, 
  Sparganium. 
  It 
  has 
  an 
  average 
  depth 
  of 
  perhaps 
  a 
  foot, 
  

   and 
  a 
  width 
  of 
  about 
  10 
  feet. 
  Its 
  depth 
  varies 
  very 
  httle 
  with 
  the 
  

   weather, 
  a 
  continuous 
  downpour 
  of 
  rain 
  for 
  days 
  raising 
  its 
  level 
  but 
  a 
  

   few 
  inches. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  woods 
  were 
  seen 
  scattering 
  stemless 
  lady's 
  slippers, 
  

   and 
  banks 
  of 
  that 
  dainty 
  little 
  favorite 
  of 
  Linnaeus, 
  the 
  twin 
  flower, 
  while 
  

   the 
  star 
  flower 
  and 
  the 
  bunchberry 
  and 
  the 
  yellow 
  Clintonia 
  and 
  the 
  red 
  

   elder 
  berry 
  made 
  these 
  places 
  bright 
  in 
  June 
  with 
  their 
  flowers 
  and 
  m 
  

   August 
  with 
  their 
  brilliantly 
  colored 
  fruit. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  little 
  strip 
  of 
  water 
  we 
  did 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  collecting 
  every 
  

   day 
  of 
  the 
  session. 
  While 
  we 
  thus 
  gained 
  some 
  general 
  information 
  as 
  

   to 
  what 
  the 
  stream 
  contained, 
  we 
  were 
  desirous 
  of 
  making 
  our 
  knowledge 
  

   more 
  exact 
  by 
  quantitative 
  studies, 
  for 
  which 
  unfortunately 
  our 
  breed- 
  

   ings, 
  requiring 
  constant 
  attention, 
  left 
  us 
  very 
  little 
  time. 
  We 
  did, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  make 
  quantitative 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  life 
  of 
  two 
  Httle 
  patches 
  of 
  

   the 
  creek, 
  made 
  a 
  count 
  of 
  the 
  cast 
  skins 
  of 
  dragon 
  flies 
  left 
  along 
  a 
  strip 
  

   of 
  the 
  bank, 
  made 
  qualitative 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  ripple 
  below 
  

   the 
  bridge, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  hatchery 
  pipes 
  and 
  troughs, 
  and 
  made 
  some 
  

   scattering 
  observations 
  of 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  interest, 
  which 
  will 
  constitute 
  the 
  

   subject 
  of 
  this 
  chapter. 
  

  

  ft 
  Quantitative 
  studies. 
  These 
  were 
  made 
  from 
  two 
  patches 
  of 
  

   Little 
  Clear 
  creek, 
  each 
  approximately 
  15 
  square 
  feet 
  in 
  surface 
  area. 
  

   They 
  do 
  not 
  include 
  the 
  animals 
  that 
  slipped 
  through 
  our 
  nets, 
  the 
  

  

  