940 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [10] 
attracted by the young oysters in the claires, climbs along the board, 
but meeting with the little projecting band of zine on which his claws 
can get no hold, he slides off and is precipitated outside the claire; he 
exhausts himself in vain efforts to enter, and the oyster meanwhile 
flourishes, secure from his attacks. This contrivance may be made 
either of wood or of zinc, according to the desire or means of the breeder; 
but zine, although more costly, is far preferable. 
But even now, protected from the crab, the ‘oyster harvest is not yet 
sure ; for there is much to fear from the predacious fish already referred 
to. These other enemies do not crawl, but swim; and at high tide 
pass over the obstacle just described; coming in large schools, they 
devour millions of young oysters in a single night; alas! we have just 
had a sad proof of this in the Arcachon basin. In order to arrest their 
invasion, I arrange small iron hooks along the zine band at inter- 
vals of about twenty centimeters (74 inches), and also at the same dis- 
tance apart upon the two longitudinal sides of the claires, which are 
opposite to one another. The keeper of the park, bearing a large roll 
of galvanized iron wire upon his arm, attaches the extremity of the wire 
to the first hook; a second workman, unrolling the wire, carries it to a 
third upon the opposite side; the latter attaches it to the correspond- 
ing hook which is before him, and then fastens it securely to a second 
hook; the man with the wire carries it back to the keeper, who repeats 
the operation. This work is continued until all the claires are covered 
with this metallic net-work. 
Oysterculture is still in its infancy, and it is only after many fruit- 
less attempts that we have been able, by a slow course of study, to dis- 
cover, successively, the collectors, the proper coverings for the tiles, the 
preservative boxes, and the different methods of raising and breeding, 
which have served as the fundamental basis of our oyster industry ; and 
it is by pursuing the same course that we have demonstrated the immense 
advantages presented by the use of the zinc protector and metallic net- 
work for claires. In fact, the results we have just described are not the 
only ones secured by these arrangements, for they serve, not only to pre- 
vent the oyster from being devoured, but also from escaping. Many 
persons are tempted to consider this assertion as a pleasantry, yet noth- 
ing is more true. During the prevalence of extreme heat the basins are 
covered with a greenish growth, called “gouémon,” or “Arbre de mer” 
(sea tree), which becomes attached to the mollusk. This seaweed in- 
creases in size, and finally, by reason of its specific gravity floats, carry- 
ing with it the oyster to which it adheres, and transferring it from our 
basins to a neighboring park, or to the bottom of the channel outside. 
The metallic net-work prevents this escape; the gouémon, or sea tree, 
raises the oyster as it did before, but, meeting with the wires which 
cover the claire, it attaches itself there, becomes dry in the sun or air, 
at low tide, and having no longer strength to retain its prey, the 
