592 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



up between them what a celebrated naturalist has called 

 the struggle for existence. 



This struggle must, sooner or later, end in the 

 discomfiture and disappearance of the weaker species. 



Under these conditions, if the gryphcea and the ordinary 

 oyster are brought together, the latter must necessarily 

 succumb. 



The Portuguese mollusc is unquestionably more robust, 

 more enduring, and, I should say, more prolific. The 

 facility with which it propagates its species is really very 

 remarkable. 



It is known how the Portuguese oyster took possession 

 of a portion of our coasts : A few hundreds of them having 

 been accidentally brought to the embouchure of the Gironde, 

 soon formed considerable beds. 



Even this year I have been able to see collectors 

 placed on the shores of the Isle of Oleron, covered almost 

 exclusively with Portuguese spat. 



I think, therefore, M. le Ministre, that in the generality 

 of cases, the culture of the gryphcea if carried on in the 

 vicinity of pares of ordinary oysters, may lead to serious evils. 



And yet, I must repeat, I saw nothing at Arcachon 

 leading me to think that the Portuguese oyster would 

 supplant the ordinary oyster. 



Here is in addition the very disinterested testimony of 

 M. Lhopital, Commissary of Marine, to whom I had 

 imparted my fears on seeing the daily increase in the 

 introduction of the Portuguese oyster into the basin of 

 Arcachon. He wrote to me recently as follows : 



" Previous to the question of hybridation, that of the 

 entire occupation of the collectors by the Portuguese 

 oysters had produced commotion among the maritime 

 population of Arcachon. Some parqueurs had even 



