25 



reclamation of three of the shallowest and least valuable 

 sections, there remain only 37 sub-lagoons or valli 

 aggregating about 36,500 hectares (90,200 acres). 



To every valle is apportioned at least one fishing 

 station, where centre the oversight and working of the 

 valle thus served. Here are situated the lavorieri or 

 labyrinths employed to trap the mature fish, the barracks 

 where lives the fattore of the valle with the company of 

 fishermen and guards under his control, and the store- 

 houses where are kept the live-chests required during 

 the fishing season together with the materials needful 

 for the upkeep of the labyrinth palisades. 



The fishing stations are located usually at places 

 where natural islets existed at the time when the respec- 

 tive embankments were constructed. To economize 

 labour when forming the valli every advantage appears 

 to have been taken of the occurrence of chains of sand 

 banks and of islets — remnants in many cases of a 

 sea-bar or lido. The most convenient islet in each 

 valle embankment was chosen as the site of a fishing 

 station and there were dug several short cross channels 

 to connect the confined water of the valle within, with the 

 ebb and flow of the sea-channel without. In the heart of 

 this plexus of short canals, which radiate fanlike towards 

 the water of the valle, lie the islets whereon the fisher- 

 men's barracks and the various store-houses are built, as 

 may be readily understood by reference to text-figure 4. 

 The principal canals are blocked against the passage of 

 boats by the several series of converging palisades forming 

 the labyrinths, so to overcome this difficulty, subsidiary 

 narrow canals (service canals) are provided to give 

 passage to boats between the valli which adjoin at these 

 stations and between them and the feeder sea-channel. 

 The service canals are provided with simple locks (Plate 

 VII, figure 12, and text-figures 4 and 5) easily manipu- 

 lated, whereby ready intercommunication is maintained 

 while safeguarding the fish in the valli from escape. 



As mentioned above the various valli or, as we may 

 term them, "fish-farms" differ greatly in size, ranging 

 from the immense Valle Mezzano of 17,407 hectares 

 (43,016 acres) down to the tiny Valle Molino of 71 

 hectares (175J acres). About 20 of these great fish- 

 ponds may be reckoned to be of first-class rank in 



