The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-08-15
Studied Lie IN
Missouri River
Party Spent Five Weeks Explor-
ing River-Current Averaged
8 Miles Per Hour.

"A Low WcchS dSO VIC PuUAhSAASN
an article telling of the work be-
ing done by the state university.
Below is an interesting account
Of the findings:
The biological station of Devils
Lake, an adjunct of the univer-
sity, has had an expedition in
the field this summer, studying
the life Of the Missouri river and
it's tributaries, with especial refer
ence to fish. The party was IN
charge of DR.. R. 7. Young, as
sistant professor Of biology at
the university, assisted by W..
Lynn Radke, a university stud
ent. They travelled in a row.
. boat from Mondak, Mont, on the
western boundary of North Da-
kota, to the Cannon Ball river,
some fifty miles south Of Bis
marck. The distance covered by
the party was about $40 miles.
They left Mondak on June 70,
and reached the Cannon Ball July
20, making five weeks spent on
the trip. They carried with them
the necessary camping equipment
and scientific apparatus, stopping
at various points along the vlver
to make collections and scientific
observations.
Aided by the current, which
averages about three miles an
hour, and in places runs much
switter, a speed of about five
miles an hour was made by the
party when travelling; but owing
to the necessity of occasional stols
for making collections and obser-
vations, and to unforeseen delays
of various kinds, the total run
for any one day never exceeded
thirty-five miles.
The observation. made on the
river include temperatuure deter
limitations at both top and bottom
determinations of turbidity or the
amount of sediment contained in
the water, soundings, the collec-
tion of samples Of the river bot
tom by means Of a dredge, and
their examination by screening
with fine. meshed sieves to dis
cover any specimens of animals
in them, the collection of micros-
copic animals and plants from the
water by means of nets made OF
the finest boiling silk used for
screening flour and approximate
counts Of the number of miscros-
copic animals contained in the riv
er at any point by straining
known quantities Of water (us'lal'
ly about six quarts) through
a net and counting the number
of animals and plants thus obtain
ed. Collections of fish are made
by means of nets and hook and
line, and the fish taken are ex-
amined for the kind Of food which
they have eaten and the para
sites which infest them. Among
these latter may be mentioned the
lamprey, an eel Ike animal, but
standing much lower in the scale
of life than the true fishes, which
by means of its sucking mouth,
ATTACHES itself to fish, and then
with it's rasping, horny teeth
scrapes away the scales and sucks
the blood of it's prey. Fish are
frequently found with scars LETT
BY the wounds from this parasite,
an attack by many Of which re-
suits in the death Of the fish.
One Of the most interesting
fishes found in the river is the
sturgeon, usually of small slze,
but occasionally attaining 9
L length of several feet and q
weight Of over. 100 pounds. The
interesting features about this
fish are the very heavy plate-llke
scales covering the body and the
cartilaginors, rather than bony,
inner skeleton. Other interesting
species are the shovel l-billed stur--
geon, so-called from the great
flat shoyel-like bill projecting
from the head for a foot or more,
and the gar pike, 9 long, slender
fish with q sword-like bill armed
with numerous strong, sharp teeth
its body covered with unusually
heavy s.ales. It is q very strong,
active fish, a hard fighter and,
possessing remarkable vitality.
Specimens taken by the party
Sw;ere strong and lively several
hours after removal from the
4 water.
The Missouri river itself furn-
ishes but poor breeding grounds
for fish, the latter probably run
ming up the creeks and sloughs
for this purpose IN the still "