lxii FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



source is at an elevation of 600 feet, but it has a fall of 100 feet in its 

 first 6 miles and makes another descent of 50 feet in the next 12 

 miles. During the rest of its course it falls but 100 feet. In the 

 upper, swifter section the precipitous bluffs rise to a height of 60 to- 

 75 feet, and there is little valley; but in the lower part the stream 

 occupies a preglacial valley similar to that occupied by the Little 

 Wabash. 



Saline River System 



The Saline River system drains into the Ohio that portion of 

 southeastern Illinois which lies immediately north of the Ozark 

 ridge. Its basin covers an area of about 2,000 square miles, lying 

 entirely within the limits of the Illinoisan drift. Part of the land is 

 quite broken by hills and ledges which range in elevation from 10 to 

 80 feet above the high-water mark of the streams. A large part of 

 the country, however, is level, and much of the land may be termed 

 ' 'wet, ' ' with here and there a not inconsiderable swamp or pond occu- 

 pying, probably, old waterways. The basin is crossed by "Gold 

 Hill," which extends through Gallatin and Hamilton counties in an 

 east and west direction. This ridge, which. attains a height of 343 

 feet above the high-water mark of the Ohio River, is crossed by the 

 Saline River a few miles below Equality. The soil is light-colored 

 clay loam, and a large part of it is still covered with thick timber. 



The river is formed in western Gallatin county by the union of 

 North and South forks, the latter being joined by Middle Fork in 

 the southeastern part of Saline county. From the point of its 

 formation the main stream pursues its course along the base of the 

 Ozark ridge in a southeasterly direction, emptying into the Ohio 

 River in northeast Hardin county. The three forks of the river and 

 their principal tributaries are, in the main, re-established along pre- 

 glacial lines, and take meandering courses through broad valleys 

 which have been filled to an elevation of 50 to 100 feet or more above 

 their rock bottoms. 



The main river is about 1 6 miles long, .and in this distance it 

 makes a descent of only about 35 feet. The banks of the river 

 along its northern border are low, but on the south they rise abruptly 

 and often to a height of 150 feet, especially in the upper half, where 

 the river hugs more closely the base of the ridge. The South Fork 

 is about 67 miles in length. In the first half mile, as it descends the 

 ridge, it falls 50 feet, but the fall gradually diminishes to 50 feet in the 

 last 24 miles. Its total descent is about 300 feet. The banks are 

 rather high, especially along the south, where they rise 50 to 60 feet 

 above the water's edge. Middle Fork is only about 26 miles long, 



