62 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The Bed River is by far the most important stream of northern Texas. It has 
its sources in the northern and northeastern portions of the Llano Estacado, forms the 
northern boundary of Texas through six degrees of longitude (from the one hundredth 
to the ninety-fourth meridian), and has a total course of more than 1,600 miles. Its 
hydrographic basin contains over 97,000 square miles, the greater part of which, how- 
ever, is outside of Texas. Most of the upper heads of the Bed River in the Panhandle 
are said to afford a constant supply of good pure water, and some of them are well 
shaded with cottonwoods. Further down much of the water sinks in the ground or is 
lost by evaporation, and the stream becomes small or even dry at times. There is also 
less timber along this part of its course. Its principal tributaries here are the Pease 
and Big Wichita rivers, which rise near the eastern escarpment and run through arid, 
treeless plains with occasional clumps of hackberry, willow, and cottonwood in the 
side canyons. The Big Wichita is said to be well timbered, however, near its mouth. 
Below the mouth of the Big Wichita, the southern tributaries of the Bed River are all 
very short and unimportant, the divide between the Bed River basin and those of the 
Sabine, Trinity, and Brazos being well up toward the Bed. The only stream of any 
importance which the Bed River receives from Texas below the Wichita is Sulphur 
River in the extreme northeast part of the State, and which is about 200 miles long. 
The Red River is subject to great variation in the amount of water which it carries, 
according to the rainfall. In winter and spring it is frequently a raging torrent of 
muddy water spreading far beyond its banks, while in the fall it is reduced to a 
stream of insignificant proportions in its upper and middle portions. 
The Sabine River, which forms the eastern boundary of Texas for about 200 
miles, is an important stream 500 miles long, having its rise in the northeastern part 
of the State only a few miles from the Red River. 
The Neches, San Jacinto, Trinity, Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe, San Antonio, 
and Nueces rivers are the principal streams of Texas which lie wholly within the 
State. All of these rise in the central or western part of the State and flow south- 
east in approximately parallel courses to the Gulf of Mexico. The Trinity, Brazos, 
and Colorado are each about 1,000 miles long and are streams of much importance; 
like all the others of this State, however, they are subject to great floods and periodic 
droughts. In the Cretaceous limestone belt running through the State near San 
Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos, and Austin are found numerous springs of enor- 
mous size. Each of the cities just named has in its immediate vicinity one or more of 
these remarkable springs. The temperature of the water in all these springs seems 
to be about the same and does not vary greatly from 75° throughout the year. 
In the narrow Quaternary belt of the coastal region are numerous short tidal 
streams, usually locally known as bayous. These are frequently quite deep and are 
navigable for small boats for mnch of their length. Their banks are generally well 
wooded and their waters well filled with the species of fish common to lowland, 
coastal streams. About their mouths are found many of the most important food- 
fishes of the coast. The water in these bayous is usually warm, frequently quite 
muddy, and always more or less stained from the vegetation growing in it. The 
shores and bottoms are in most places made up of soft mud, and snags and logs are 
abundant. 
