48 



they were also more densely crowded and misshapened. No 

 large single oysters were found among these clusters, althougli 

 the surrounding bottom was as firm as tliat in the pools. 



The supply of food organism in the water, both in the pools 

 and in the more saline water of the inlets, was very abundant. 

 The condition of the oysters in all the pools, and more especially 

 in those near the north end of the islands, was exceptionallj' 

 good. The "coon" oysters along the banks of the inlets were in 

 good condition, but on account of their small size were practi- 

 cally worthless. 



In several of the bayous about midway of the chain oP 

 islands, where the marsh is widest, small reefs of oysters were 

 found in from three to five feet of water. These reefs were a11 

 at the inner ends of the bayous deep in the marsh where the 

 water was considerably less saline than near their mouths. The 

 oysters on these reefs were densely crowded and in poor con- 

 dition as compared with those taken from the pools in the sam^ 

 locality. 



Although limited to small areas in any one place the total 

 area of oyster producing bottom in the marshes at the Chande- 

 leur Islands makes in the aggregate a good many acres, and, as 

 is shown by the size and quality of the single oysters growing in 

 the pools, the conditions are very favorable for the production 

 of excellent oysters. The absence of any material to serve as 

 clutch, other than the few shells of the parent oysters, is the 

 chief cause of the small number of oysters found in most of the 

 pools. That the supply of food organisms is sufficient to sup- 

 port many more than are present in most cases is shown by the 

 fact that in some of the pools the entire bottom is covered with 

 dense clusters, and yet the oysters were in good condition while 

 counts of the diatoms, both in the stomachs of the oysters and 

 in the water about them, showed the available food supply to be 

 sufficient to assure its continued abundance. 



The consistency of the bottom is such that there is no danger 

 of even small shells sinking below the surface, so that only a 

 small amount of clutch would be necessary in order to establish 

 permanent beds in any of the pools. The water in all the pools 

 is so shallow that the oysters could be gathered very easily, and 



