74 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
War Eagle Elver. The black basses, called trout,” are tlie favorite fishes, although 
■wall-eyed pike and channel cat are found in moderate quantities. Eo collections were 
made from this stream. 
Near Batesville we visited three northern and one southern tributary of the 
White Eiver. Lafeity Creek is some 10 to 15 miles up the river from Batesville. It 
is a small stream, Avith clear water and a rocky, sandy, and muddy bottom. It is fed 
by springs and is too small to be of much importance. Spring Creek is about 10 to 12 
miles in length, and is fed almost entirely by what is known as Big Siiring. A short 
distance below the s])riiig a dam is constructed, above which is a lake, about an 
eighth of an acre in extent. In the dry season, by storing Avater at night in this lake, 
enough water can be had to run an S-horse-power turbine during the day. Below the 
spring the Audley is narrow and subject to oAmrtlows; otherwise this Avould afford an 
excellent site for a hatchery. We collected in the stream beloAv the dam and about 
half Avay from the dam to its mouth. Its water is Amry cool, especially Avhen compared 
with the Avater in Laferty Creek, White Eiver, and Polk Bayou. Polk Bayou is the 
largest tributary near Batesville. It is similar to Laferty and Spring Creek. Miller 
Creek is a small tributary of Polk Bayou. Salado is a small tributary on the south 
side of the riAmr, a short distance below Batesville. The region drained is mostly 
covered by sandstone. Where ATsited by us the bottom Avas too rocky to admit of 
successful seining. A short distance below the water was Amry deep and full of large 
fragments of rock. Large gars could be seen coming occasionally to the surface. 
Between this point and its mouth the Salado flows through the White Eiver bottom 
with a slow current in a deep, narroAv channel. Caney Creek is a small tributary of 
the Salado near Batesville. It is similar to the Salado, though much smaller. 
The next important tributary of White Eiver is Black Eiver, which empties into the 
White a short distance above Newport. The Black is a very large stream and navi- 
gable for small boats as far as Pocahontas, almost its entire length in Arkansas. The 
Current rivers, its most important tributaries, rise in southern and eastern Missouri. 
The Avaters of the Black Eiver are quite clear, though they are stained to some extent 
apparently by vegetation, giA'ing it a dark appearance, from AiEich, no doubt, its name 
was derived. We visited this stream at Black Eock. It is from 50 to 200 yards in 
width and flows mostly through a deep channel, Avith sandy and muddy bottoms; 
along its course are many shoals with sandy and rocky bottoms. It is fed mostly by 
spring brooks and rivers, and is an excellent stream. The region about Black Eock 
is heaAdly timbered, pine, poplar, elm, oak, and ash being the commonest of the larger 
lowland trees. Black Eock is noted for its large number of sawmills. 
Spring Eiver is a Avestern tributary of Black EiAmr, into which it empties a short 
distance aboA-m Black Eock. It is the outlet of Mammoth Spring, one of the largest 
springs in the United States, and is about half the size of Black EiAmr aboAm the 
lAoiut Avhere it enters. The current of Spring Ei\mr is swift, its bottom more rocky 
and sandy than that of the White. Our collections were made a short distance above 
the mouth of the riAmr. 
The Strawberry is also a Avestern tributary of the Black. It is little more than a 
large creek and goes nearly dry in summer. Its current is moderate, but rather 
swifter than that of Spring EiAmr, the bottom being more rocky. It Avas visited near 
Sinithville. Flat and Machine creeks are small northern tributaries of the Straw- 
berry. They dry up in summer and are too small to be of any consequence. 
