30 



MUSSEL, FAUNA OF MAUMEE EIVEK. 



handsome species of Char a. No shells were seen on shore, and after 

 examining a large area of the bottom only 3 live mussels could be 

 found: 1 Unio gibhosus^ 1 Lampsilis alatus^ and 1 L. liiteolus. 



Station 13. Tiffin River., just above Defiance., Ohio. — Tiffin Kiver is 

 a large stream entering the Maumee about a mile and a half above 

 Defiance, Ohio. We had heard that there were mussels in the stream, 

 and Kirsch^ has reported them as abundant in the lake at the head of 

 the river, although he says nothing of the river itself. The back- 

 water of the Maumee, caused by the dam below Defiance, extends for 

 about 2 miles up this river, so that it was a very sluggish stream 

 with almost no current. A light-green thin scum, resembling 

 Euglena^ flow^ed slowly down, streaking the central portion of the 

 river. 



The banks and bottom were yellow clay, the water turbid, and so 

 far as w^e could observe aquatic vegetation was lacking. We as- 

 cended the river about 2 miles. No shells were seen on shore and 

 considerable dredging brought up only 3 live mussels, 1 Lampsilis 

 alatiis., 1 L. ligamentinus., and 1 L. ventricosus. The river was full 

 of brush and snags which frequently entangled the dredge. It is 

 quite likely that mussels are more abundant higher up beyond the 

 dead water. 



Defiance, Ohio, was reached August 2. Here the Maumee and 

 Cincinnati Canal goes southward through the State. At the time of 

 our visit this canal was nearly empty, as the locks were being re- 

 paired. This canal was followed on foot for some distance into the 

 country, but no traces of mussels of any kind could be seen along 

 the shore or in the mud in the bottom. 



Station IJf. The Auglaize River., 2 miles dbo've Defiance., Ohio. — 

 The Auglaize River is fully as large as the Maumee, and joins the 

 latter at Defiance, the old Indian fort for which the city is named 

 having stood upon the point of land betwedll the two rivers. The 

 water is considerably clearer than that of the Maumee, and the dead 

 water backs up the river for some distance. Just beyond the dead 

 water is a series of short riffles. Here the water was quite shallow 

 and the bottom composed of a slippery horizontal shale which had 

 been used to some extent in the manufacture of cement. The river 

 is further broken up by a number of small islets and pools. Many 

 large dead shells were found on the bars. The mussels could obtain 

 no foothold in the bottom of the main portion of the river, since it 

 was of bare shale, but were found in the sand and gravel bars along 

 the banks. Here they were congregated into dense beds. Nearly the 

 whole surface of the bars was covered with dead and living shells, 

 even among the roots of the water willows and other aquatic plants. 

 The water was clear and the current moderate, making the collection 



« Bulletin U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, loc, cit. 



