The Nautilus. Vol. XXXI, No. 2, October 1917: A Quarterly Journal Devoted to the Interests of ConchologistsVarious
Science
The Nautilus. Vol. XXXI, No. 2, October 1917: A Quarterly Journal Devoted to the Interests of Conchologists
Various
Mollusks -- Periodicals
It is to be noted that previous to the time when the snails had become
so abundant, there had been no heavy rains of sufficient importance to
be recorded since 1908. Excessive rains occurred in May 1908, November
and May 1907, June and March 1905, May and April 1904, July and February
1903, July and November 1902. There was a very severe flood in the creek
in April 1900. It will be seen that between the time when my
observations began and the last excessive rain considerable time had
elapsed and the snails had had the opportunity to reinstate themselves
in the creek, assuming that they had suffered in those floods as they
have done in the later ones.
In the fall of 1913 there were two floods of unusual proportions in the
creek. In October it rose very rapidly, but shortly subsided, and in
November, at the time when the entire state was visited by the most
severe flood since 1869, it was again subjected to a very thorough
scouring. Excessive rains fell on several consecutive days, and streams
in the entire Colorado watershed were out of their banks.
After the heavy rains of the earlier part of the month there were
several days upon which the rainfall, while comparatively light, was
sufficient to keep the creek much higher than its normal level. When the
water finally subsided to its normal amount the bed was covered
completely with a layer of detritus and soft green humus and algae from
a half an inch to an inch in thickness. This deposit and the acids
formed from it have been the cause of a much more rapid disintegration
of the limestone than had been the case in the immediately preceding
years. Loose pieces of limestone which were exposed to the action of the
water had in many cases fallen apart by the end of January. Further
rises occurred on April 27 and on May 20th, 1914, but were not
sufficient to remove all of the accumulated layer of detritus.
In January 1914, a search for snails where they had before been numerous
failed to reveal a single specimen of _Planorbis_ and less than half a
dozen _Physa_. Even in the deeper pools they could scarcely be found.
Later in the spring in the lowest part of the stream a number of very
small _Physa_, as well as some clusters of eggs were found. The force of
the current had been so great as to wash the snails down to the river,
and it is possible that the condition of the water due to the
decomposing humus may have affected those which were able to escape the
flood danger. That some of the Physa were left after the flood may be
attributed to their pointed shape which decreases the amount of force
that the water was able to exert on them as compared with that on the
flat Planorbis shells. Except as noted above in April and May 1914, the
conditions in the creek remained as normal.
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