SAeo De cempen 4077 No. 237. NEW YORK SHELL CLUB _ NOTES 
MUSKINGUM RIVER NAIAD MOLLUSKS 
The Muskingum River basin occupies nearly all 9 COU ae Ohio 
and is the largest river system in the state. Its i e been 
the source of an impressive variety of unionids, wit 3 specise 
recorded from the main stem alone. This resource has served asa 
food source for prehistoric Indians; as an abundant ik aes shell 
for the pearl button industry (668 tons in 1912 alone); and, more 
recently, as the raw material for the manufacture of nuclei for cul- 
tured pearls. The harvest had been limited to 500 tons of shell 
per year in recent years. 
Tentative plans were made some years ago for A.M.U. '76 to visit an 
especially rich site on the lower Muskingum as their annual field 
trip. Industrial copper pollution has been cited as the major fac- 
tor in decimating this fauna in recent years. It has been estimated 
that 43 million naiades were killed in the main stem of the Muskin- 
gum River from 1971 through 1974. Copper effluent has since been 
reduced (by court order) to an average of 10 pounds per day, but it 
will take some years for the population to regain its former abun- 
dance - if ever. The Muskingum is presently closed to commercial 
collecting. 
Fortunately the Museum of Zoology had salvaged a number of large 
animal-collected shell middens from this river before the fauna dis- 
appeared. These were brought out of storage, cleaned, labeled, 
bagged, and presented to A.M.U..'76 as banquet favors. These spec- 
imens are among the finest of their kind available anywhere. We 
are only sorry that A.M.U. '76 could not have the pleasure of col- 
lecting them personally. 
David H. Stansbery 
OSUM, Columbus, Ohio 
August, 1976 
The beautiful specimens given as banquet favors were: uadrula 
pustulosa (Lea, 1831), Truncilla donaciformis (Lea, 1827) and 

| Obi tquarte reflexa Rafinesque, 1820. ans 
Review: 
WONDERS OF STARFISH 
by Morris K. Jacobson and William K. Emerson, 1977, Dodd, Mead & Co. 
80° pp.. incl. glossary, bibliography, index; well illustrated with 
Photographs and line drawings. 7" x 94", reinforced binding, $4.95. 
WONDERS OF STARFISH is the latest of Dodd, Mead's "Wonder Books" to 
give an introductory account with good Supplementary information on 
animals commonly encountered by those who frequent the seashore. 
Various types of starfish are discussed: their forms, how they de- 
velop from larvae to adults, how they feed and are fed upon, their 
place in the ecology and, finally, Suggestions for observing living 
starfish -- which is a fascinating study. Did you know that star- 
fish range in size from less than an inch to over four feet, and 
that they may have only four arms or as many as fifty? ‘ 
Companion books are WONDERS OF THE WORLD OF SHE 
LLS (Jacobson & Emer- 
ty ae WONDERS OF BARNACLES (Ross & Emerson, os and WONDERS 
NGES (Jacobson & Pang, 1976) which with WONDERS OF STARFISH 
make a useful set of introductory texts. da 
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