REPORT UPON TPIE FISHES OF KENTUCKY. 
255 
There was considerable coarse gravel or broken and rounded stones piled up at 
intervals, with but little sand. A species of Veronica and a mint were growing in large 
quantities in the edges of the water and shallow places ; some algae and Fontinalis were 
also noticed. The banks of the stream are from 150 to 200 feet high, the stream having 
cut its way to that extent through the soft spongy limestone. The creek is fed by 
numerous large, cold springs, the outlets of the numerous sinks of the uplands. 
3. Beaver Creele : The examination was made about 6 miles north of Glasgow, the 
county seat of Barren. County, August 6, the water temperature being 80° F. Beaver 
Creek is a small northern tributary of the Big Barren .River, about 20 miles in length, 
and at this place, 15 miles from its mouth, is about 20 yards wide. The locality was 
not a good one for collecting, but is the only place for several miles where the seine 
could be used, on account of the mill ponds. At this point there is a short ripple about 
50 yards long, between the falls of one mill dam and the back water of the one below . 
The stream has a considerable current over rock bottom at the ripple, but in the more 
quiet water the bottom is of mud. Some of the rocks were dotted with OsciUaria , 
while Spirogyra and other algae were found in quiet places. The soil in the narrow 
valley is fertile, but the surrounding country is of a poor limestone soil, colored very 
red from the iron which it contains. 
The banks of the stream are fringed with willows, locusts, and hawthorns ( Gra- 
tae gun). On the uplands grow red and white oak, walnut, cherry, and poplar, while 
the tops of the hills are covered with post oak. The soil is underlaid by a soft lime- 
stone, easily eroded, and the whole surface of the country is covered with sinks. The 
stream is well stocked with a variety of fishes, and the specimens taken were large 
and fine. 
4. Little Barren River , at Osceola, August 6 : The locality examined extended 
from the mill, one-half mile downstream ; temperature of the water, 84° F. Little 
Barren River rises in the southern part of Metcalf County and flows northwesterly for 
about 40 miles, joining the Green River between Hart and Green counties. At this 
station, 5 or 6 miles from its mouth, the river is about 80 yards wide and flows over a 
bottom composed of stone, slate, and coarse gravel. The water on the long ripples 
was very shallow, being broken up into several small streams with small grassy islands 
between them. The low sloping bars of these islands were covered with knotgrasses 
and mints. Darters were found in abundance on the clear, swift ripples, while min- 
nows and sunfishes were plentiful in the more quiet places. The station is a good 
one for collecting, and we obtained a fair representation of what the stream contains. 
UPPER GREEN RIVER PROPER. 
5. Green River, 5 miles southwest of Greensburg, August 7 ; temperature, 83° F. 
Here the river is about 200 yards wide, flowing over very large beds of gravel and 
sand. Where this material has been cut out the bottom is of smooth, flat stone, while 
in the deeper places some mud has been deposited. The river was fished at a ripple 
where the water varied in depth from 2 to 4 feet, but between the ripples the water 
reaches a depth of from 4 to 12 feet. The stream contained but little vegetation, 
which grew on the small islands or low sloping shores. The fine, smooth bars afford 
excellent places for collecting ; not infrequently one haul of the seine would land as 
many as 75 darters and many more minnows and other soft-rayed fishes. 
