MUSSELS OF CENTEAL AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 23 



and would furnish sufficient hosts for the glochidla; therefore, in case 

 the artificial stocking of lakes proves a success, three of these lakes 

 present good opportunities for work on commercial species. 



SAUK LAKE AND SAUK RIVER. 



Sauk Lake, 3 miles above Sauk Center in Stearns County, is 7 

 miles long and f mile wide, and is thus little more than a widening of 

 the river. It is partly natural and partly artificial, produced by a 

 dam across the river at Sauk Center. The bottom is composed of 

 sand and coarse gravel, covered with a profuse growth of algae, 

 Chara, Potomageton, and other aquatic vegetation. The only mus- 

 sels found in the lake were the fat mucket (luteola), Anodontoides 

 ferussacianus modestus and Anodonta pepiniana. The muckets are 

 thin-shelled, dwarfed, and covered with a large amount of marl pos- 

 teriorly. The epidermis is honey-yellow in color, highly polished, 

 and faintly rayed. The two floaters, of course, possess no commercial 

 value, and were found only in limited numbers. 



The river was examined below the mill dam at Sauk Center, and 

 again 3 miles above St. Cloud. The fat mucket (luteola), the pocket- 

 book (ventricosa), and the black sand-shell (recta) were found in abun- 

 dance at both places, and in addition near St. Cloud there were some 

 ordinary muckets (ligamentina) and Anodontoides. 



The fat muckets were of river size, and a small percentage were 

 thick enough for buttons, the ordinary muckets were of large size 

 and thick-shelled, but were somewhat spotted ; the pocketbooks were 

 exceptionally large, much flatter than usual, thick, and with a good 

 luster, but they were also spotted, and on being tested proved to be 

 brittle, thus rendering practically worthless material that to all 

 appearance seemed to be as good as that from the Shell River at 

 Menahga. The only thing worthy of comment here is the lack of a 

 suitable fishway around the dam at Sauk Center. The effect of this 

 is seen in the fact that although the pocketbook was common just 

 below the dam, not one could be found in the 3 miles of river above 

 the dam. 



LAKE MINNEWASKA, LAKE OSAKIS, AND BATTLE LAKE. 



Lake Minnewaska, situated at Glenwood, near the center of Pope 

 County, is 8 miles long and 2 miles wide. The bottom is of sand 

 and rather fine gravel, with numerous shallow sand bars along the 

 southwestern shore. The average depth of the water is from 12 to 

 15 feet, and while there is an interrupted fringe of rushes along the 

 shore line the lake itself is exceptionally clear and free from aquatic 

 vegetation. There is no outlet except during very high water, when 

 a small stream overflows into the Chippewa River, which is a tribu- 

 tary of the Minnesota River. 



