At Paragould we did some seining in Eight-mile Creek, a western tributary of the St. Francis. This creek goes nearly dry in the summer. Like the bayou, it has a muddy and sandy bottom. The day before our visit a heavy thunder-shower had so swollen the stream as to render seining somewhat difficult and unsuccessful.
The time at my disposal did not permit me to visit the Cache River which drains the western slope of Crowley Ridge. This river is much smaller than the St. Francis, but is reported as being of considerable importance from an ichthyological standpoint. It is also said to suffer in this respect on account of the large quantity of sawdust deposited in it by sawmills. The injury the sawdust does the fish is not fully appreciated by either citizens or sawmill men, or it is quite certain it would be stopped.
Northeast Arkansas and adjacent portions of Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee are especially inviting to the biologist. A large portion of this region is yet wild and thinly settled. Thus the balance of life has not been seriously disturbed by man. On account of malaria some naturalists are prevented from visiting this region in the summer. Reports as to the uuhealthful condition of this region have been considerably exaggerated. It no doubt contains its full share of malaria, but with moderate care no evil results need be feared. The people who live in this region, and who are engaged in cutting timber, suffer very little from malaria.
In making the collections at Greenway I was assisted by Mr. S. E. Mitchell, a former student of the Arkansas University. At Paragould I was assisted by the Oxley brothers. At Jonesboro I was the guest of a fishing party consisting of Professors Sampson and Johnson, Mr. H. C. Townley, Mr. Freer, and Mr. George Peters. Mr. Peters also accompanied me to Marked Tree, and to him I am under special obligations. At Paragould I was entertained by Mr. Richard Jackson.
LIST OF FISHES FROM THE ST. FRANCIS RIVER.
In order to abbreviate, I have used the names of localities as follows:
Bayou .= Bayou near Greenway, Arkansas.
Old River = Old River at Buckhorn Landing near Greenway, Arkansas.
Paragould = Eight-mile Creek near Paragould, Arkansas.
Big Bay = St. Francis River near Big Bay, Arkansas.
Marked Tree = Little and St. Francis rivers near Marked Tree, Arkansas.
At Marked Tree nearly all of the collections were made in the Little River from its mouth to about 1 or 2 miles above it. This stream and the St. Francis resemble each other very much. The Little River has a little more current and is much the smaller. A few hauls were made in the St. Francis, but they resulted in nothing new.
During the summer of 1896 studies were continued, under the auspices of the United States Fish Commission, upon the food of marine fishes, and in working out somewhat in detail some of the ways in which several of them are related to their environment in these respects, and especially in trying to get a more accurate idea of the primary basis upon which they all rest; that is to say, the body of micro-organic material suspended in the water.