9 -REPORT OF EXPLORATIONS MADE IN MISSOURI AND ARKANSAS DURING 
1889, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE FISHES OBSERVED IN 
EACH OF THE RIVER BASINS EXAMINED. 
BY SETH EUGENE MEEK. 
In July and August, 1889, the writer spent six weeks exploring the streams of the 
Ozark region of Missouri and Arkansas in the interest of the U. S. Fish Commission. 
The work was performed under the direction of Di\ David S. Jordan, and I received, 
throughout, the very efficient assistance of Mr. Louis Eettger and Mr. Frank M. Drew, 
students in the University of Indiana. 
1 The region examined lies chiefly in southern Missouri and in western Arkansas. 
The surface of the country is much broken, although none of its hills reach any great 
i height. The rock in place is chiefiy limestone, containing much chert and flint. The 
ij flint breaks up into angular pieces which cover the bottom of the streams, affording 
l| lurking places to small fishes, biTt very destructive to the nets. 
■ The Ozark region abounds in springs. The streams are clear and cold even in the 
! heat of summer. The temperature rarely exceeds 76° Fah., and some streams are 
■ found as cold as 57 ° Fah. 
i Vegetation is not very abundant in the streams, being much less profuse than in 
I the streams of western North Carolina and Virginia. The bottoms of the streams 
:j are rocky, gravelly, or sandy, with very little mud. Nearly all of those in Missouri 
j are well filled with Ashes, but there are fewer individuals than in streams seined by 
1 the writer in Iowa, Indiana, and the Carolinas. The greatest number of fishes was 
;; found near Mammoth Springs, but fishes were scarce in the Mazarn and especially so 
i in the Caddo and in the forks of the Saline. 
In collecting in these latter streams we were much disappointed. The fact that the 
country is thinly settled, and but a comparatively small amount of the timber has 
been cut, led us to believe that the fishes had been very little disturbed by man. We 
were informed by settlers to the west of Hot Springs that in the past few years many 
I fishes in these streams have been destroyed by dynamite. The two summers previous 
to our visit many fishes were seen dead and dying along the Mazarn, Caddo, and the 
1 Saline. Dr. John C. Branner, director of the G-eological Survey of Arkansas, informed 
the writer that large numbers of fishes were found dead along the forks of the Saline 
Bull. U. S. F. C. 89 8 113 
