REpPoRT upon the Methods of OysTER and MussEu 
CULTURE in use on the WEsT COAST OF FRANCE. 
By W. A. Herpman, D.Sc., F.R.S. 
PROFESSOR OF NATURAL HISTORY IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LIVERPOOL, 
{With Plates I.—III.]. 
INTRODUCTION. 
In accordance with the wish of the Lancashire Sea-Fish- 
eries Committee 1 went to France towards the end of last 
June and spent about three weeks in visiting the various 
places on the western coast between Arcachon and 
Brittany where oyster and mussel culture are carried on. 
I saw everything possible in the time of the methods- 
employed and the results attained, collected notes and 
specimens, and took about 60 photographs of the more 
important poimts. From that material the following 
report has been drawn up. 
I am indebted to Mr. C. E. Fryer, of the Board of 
Trade, and to several scientific friends for kindly giving 
me letters of introduction and for other help, and | hoped 
to have received similar assistance through our foreign 
office, but although I wrote and explained fully what my 
object was in wishing to study shell-fish culture and asked 
that facilities should be given to me by putting me in 
communication with the consuls or the fishery authorities 
at the places I proposed to visit, and although Lord 
Rosebery kindly gave me an introduction to the British 
Ambassador at Paris, to whom also I wrote explaining my 
objects, still I received no introductions or official help 
from the Government. It gives me the more pleasure 
then to acknowledge the friendly spirit in which I was 
received and the hospitable way I was treated by all the 
Frenchmen I came in contact with and to whom I was 
merely a foreign naturalist. I have since, however, 
obtained some information in regard to the fishing at 
