24 
Annual Reports of Academy of 
light to one familiar only with the comparatively limited life of 
our more northern streams and the ever present possibility of bring- 
ing to light some rare and especially desirable specimen kept our 
enthusiasm at a high pitch. 
Crossing the mountains at Bristol, Tennessee, we passed down 
the valley of the Tennesee River. The country here, as one sees 
it from the window of a railroad car, is rather monotonous. The 
grades we meet are not very steep, except in comparatively few 
sections. In mid-autumn the brown grass was everywhere in 
evidence, for the season of 1921 was dry in the extreme. The 
mountains comprising the outcroppings of the Great Smoky Range 
and finally Lookout Mountain bring us eventually into the tortuous 
gorges and abruptslopes of the Cumberland Plateau, at the approach 
of the big bend of the Tennessee. These places often remind us 
of our beech-woods in upper Pennsylvania. Great masses of lime- 
stone boulders are strewn about and their white color frequently 
forms pleasing contrasts with the green verdure. When one ven- 
tures afoot into the forests the difficulties of travel are more apparent. 
Most of the trees on the hills are of moderate or small growth, and 
largely hard wood. Passing further west the valleys widen and 
finally we wind about on a level plain with only here and there 
large hills often “hog-backs," in endless profusion. The country 
soon becomes more level and the hills are left far to the north and 
the northeast. 
About Decatur we stayed for several days and found most inter- 
esting conditions. The Tennessee River is here quite a wide and 
rather shallow' stream and we imagine always soiled or muddy. At 
least several weeks of dry weather had left it in this condition and 
we found conditions about the same at most every point that we 
visited. Quantities of mussel shells, many large and quite thick, 
are carried ashore in the sand brought in by the river dredges. 
We were able to examine a number of species, some very attractive 
in form and color. Fish are taken by the river-fishermen, who have 
only a local market for their catch. At different points along the 
river we saw their shacks, and the large heavy fyke or set-nets, 
hanging in the branches of the trees. The fishing season is carried 
on with greatest success in the winter, when the river is high. 
Then great numbers of large cats, buffalo-fish, red-horse, river- 
suckers, grinclles, eels, herring, pike-perch, rock-bass, strawberry- 
