32 



only very rarely. Since there is, however, a likelihood of the 

 recurrence of freshets, and since the bottom is so generally soft, 

 this bayou cannot be recommended for planting oysters when 

 there is so much available bottom where the 'conditions are favor, 

 able and where there is not the danger from freshets. 



In Bay Tambour, northeast of Oyster Bay, the depth of 

 the water is from two and one-half to four feet. The bottom is 

 soft everywhere outside of the bedding grounds, which take up 

 the greater part of the area of this bay, and several of these 

 have been made firm by the planting of shells on the soft mud. 

 The salinity of the Avater was 1.0148. The amount of oysxer 

 food in the water was large. 



In Welsh Bay, east of Bay Tambour, the water is from three 

 to seven feet deep, and the bottom is composed of rather firm 

 mud. In the southern part of the bay there are some very hard 

 areas where the bottom has been hardened by old natural reefs. 



From the upper end of Welsh Bay two bayous extend to the 

 west end of Bay Crocodile. The longest of these, Bayou du West, 

 makes a long bend to the westward and back again, so that its 

 length is nearly as great again as that of the other one. Bayou du 

 East. Some three-quarters of a mile above Welsh Bay there i;^ 

 a broad expanded portion of Bayou du West where the depth 

 of the water is from three to six feet. In the narrow part of 

 the bayou the depth is from eight to twenty feet. The bottom 

 h- firm in the deeper portions ; but in the shallow places it is 

 very soft. There are some quite extensive reefs of oysters, both 

 in the lower part of this bayou near Welsh Bay, and also in 

 the narrow upper part. The oysters from both of these places 

 are, however, rather small and of poor quality. 



In Bayou du East there are some reefs made up of small 

 oysters that are taken to be used for seed. There are many mus- 

 sels among the oysters on the reefs in both of these bayous. 



Bay Crocodile, which is about two milees long and one mile 

 v/ide, lies along the south side of Bayou Little Caillou, from 

 which it is separated by a narrow strip of relatively high land 

 A narrow artificial cut-off connects these bodies of water at the 

 northwest end of the bay. The depth of the water in this bay is 

 uniformly about three feet, and the bottom is composed of rather 

 soft organic mud. So far as our examination shoAved. there are 

 no living oysters in this bay outside of the leased areas. 



