682 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



and tiles covered with a coating of hydraulic cement, which 

 renders it possible, when the time has arrived, to remove 

 the oysters from the place of attachment ; this may be 

 accomplished without the slightest difficulty. 



The oysters which Messrs. Gasquet, have introduced 

 into their concession came from Arcachon ; the largest on 

 their arrival, measured about 4 centimeters (i^ inches) in 

 diameter ; the others were still attached to the collectors. 

 They were imported and parked in the spring of last year, 

 and at once rapidly grew to be one centimeter in size. But 

 since the manifestation of this first growth, until the month 

 of September, at which time I visited the establishment at 

 Giens, they had remained stationary, and moreover had 

 given no signs of reproducing. There is nothing strange 

 in this, for it must be considered that these oysters, which 

 were still rather young for spawning, had, besides, under- 

 gone the fatigue of a long journey ; the time they have 

 taken to recover themselves coincides precisely with that 

 of their growth and spawning. It is also necessary to add 

 that a drier year than that of 1877 has been rarely seen. 

 During more than four months the water of the roadstead 

 of Giens, naturally salt, has not received the slightest ad- 

 dition of rain water. In spite of this fact very few oysters 

 have perished. This is important and promises well for the 

 future. 



Messrs. Gasquet, like practical men, do not propose 

 to limit their experiments to the oyster of Arcachon ; this 

 year they are going to obtain a supply of Portuguese oysters 

 and of oysters native to the ponds of Corsica. They have 

 taken advantage of the winter season to make important 

 improvements in their pares. Having learned of the ex- 

 cellent results obtained by distributing shells and sand over 

 the bottom of the pares, they have, like Messrs. Mauduit 



