FISHES OF THE MAUMEE KIVER BASIN. 
323 
TIFFIN RIVER. 
Tiffin Eiver lias its origin in Devils Lake in Lenawee County, Mich. It tlows- 
in a southerly direction through Fulton, Williams, and Defiance counties, Ohio, and 
joins the Maumee liiver near the city of Defiance. It has no large tributaries. This 
river was examined a.t the following places: 
Devils Lake, at Mauitou Beach, Mich., July 25: The surface of this lake has 
been raised 20 inches by filling in the outlet, thereby extending the area at least 
one-eighth. The lake is in the form of the letter f, with the stem of the letter extending 
toward the north and the cap of the letter extending east and west. The greatest 
length from north to south is 4 miles, and the greatest width 2^- miles. On the outer 
border of the east arm is Bound Lake, whicb has a diameter of 1 mile. This is 
connected with the east arm by two channels, each about 10 feet wide and 100 feet 
long. One of these channels is shallow, not more that 1 foot deep, while the other 
has a depth of 5 feet, and is used for the iiassage of small steamboats. Bound Lake 
is shallow and bulrushes appear almost over its entire surface. 
The deepest water found in Devils Lake is in the north end of the main stem and 
only 100 yards from the shore, where it is 50 feet deep and has a bottom temperature 
of 60°. Temi)erature just below the surface was 79°; that of the air (10 a. m.), 78°. 
The greater portion of the lake is shallow, and the surface is covered with bulrushes. 
The shores are mostly clean, with solid bottom. The east shore is covered with innum- 
erable shells of water snails. Mussels are very common. The country surrounding 
the lake is rolling and near the shores is covered with timber. Devils Lake has no 
inlet of any conserpience; it receives nearly all its water from rains and springs. 
The Tiffin Biver was examined at Mauitou Beach, Jidy 20. This stream is the 
outlet of Devils Lake. It was fished for only a few hundred yards from the lake 
down. The channel has a soft mud bottom and is everywhere overgrown with weeds 
and dense growths of alga*. Its average width was 8§ feet; average depth, 8 inches; 
rate of current, 6 inches per second. The volume of water discharged from Devils 
Lake at this time was 1,300 gallons per minute. The surface of the water was 20 
inches lower than that of the lake of which it is the outlet. Here were caught a 
great many mud minnows, stone cats (Notiirns gi/rrnus), and dogfish. 
The Tiffin Biver was examined at Hudson, Mich., July 22. From the dam down 
for 2 nules the channel has a width of 15 to 20 feet; the banks are from 4 to 6 feet 
high. The bed of the stream is clean, mostly of coarse gravel. There are many long 
riffles and few deep holes. The water is rather clear and cool. Where the measure- 
ments were taken the stream had a width of 8^ feet, the average depth was 4 inches, 
and the rate of current l;j^ feet per second. The volume of water couveyed was there- 
fore 1,590 gallons per minute. About a mile below Hudson the river receives several 
strong springs and the water is much cooler. Immediately below these springs we 
took several specimens of liliinichthys atronasus. 
The dam in Tiffin Biver just above Hudson is G feet high. The dam 24 miles 
below Hudson has a height of 12 feet; it has two falls, the upper of which is 8 feet. 
Neither of these dams is provided with fish-ladders. 
The bottom lands vary in width from I to 1 mile. The hills bordering the bottom 
lands are 20 to 30 feet high. At points where the river touches the side hills the 
ascent is almost perpendicular, exposing layers of gravel and bluish clay. 
The ox-eyed daisy and Canada tliistle are very common upon the banks. The 
common lizardtail is the commonest plant in the edge of the water. 
