40 



site Bayou La Graisse, and through several passes along the 

 south side. At its eastern end it is connected with Lake Felicity 

 by several bayous. At the southeast corner there are passes to 

 Bay Jacko and Bap Baptiste, and through these bays it is con- 

 nected with Timbalier Bay. The depth of the water in this lake 

 varies from five to twelve feet, the depth over the greater part 

 being about seven feet. The bottom is made up of firm organic 

 mud over the greater portion of the bay ; all of the soft places of 

 any size being found in some of the shallow coves along the 

 south side of the bay. 



The commercially important oyster reefs are all in one con- 

 nected area in the western end of the lake and constitute what 

 is practically one large reef, some two miles long and from 

 200 yards to three-quarters of a mile wide. On some parts of 

 this reef the oysters are in bunches and densely crowded, so 

 that their quality is very poor. On other parts of the reef 

 the oysters are either single or in bunches of two to three. The 

 size and condition of these last-mentioned oysters was the best 

 of any that we took from the natural reefs in any part of the 

 parish. In the open part of the lake, opposite to the mouths of 

 scime of the bayous on the north side, there are large areas that 

 iiave been hardened by the formation of extensive reefs, all of 

 v/hich are now commercially extinct. Off the entrance to the 

 pass to Bay Jacko there is a very large dead reef in about seven 

 feet of water. 



At the northwest corner of Lake Barre there is an arm that 

 extends to the north for some three or four miles and which is 

 from three-quarters of a mile to one mile wide. The bottom is 

 composed of firm mud. or clay, soft spots being of very infre- 

 quent occurrence. 



The salinity of the water in Lake Barre averaged 1.0132, 

 being greatest in the east end and least in the northwest arm. 

 1'here was little lowering of the salinity as a result of the freshet 

 of the past spring, except in the upper part of the northwest 

 arm. The amount of oyster food was found to be large in all 

 parts of the lake. 



Between the northwest arm of Lake Barre, and Bayou 

 Terrebonne there is a series of small bays and bayous having 

 openings into each of these larger bodies of water. The bayous 



