MYTILID^E. 351 



the mud, although even these are preferable to mussels gathered on 

 the sea shore in a state of nature. 



M. Coste gives a graphic description of the manner in which this 

 industry is carried on, " Having supplied the neighbouring villages," 

 he says, " for the purpose of supplying the more distant cities, the 

 bouchotiers land their punts, filled with mussels, which their wives 

 carry into grottoes hollowed out of the cliffs ; where they clean and 

 pack them in hampers, baskets, and panniers, for conveyance by carts 

 or pack-horses. They depart on their respective journeys at night, 

 so as to reach their markets at La Eochelle, Eochefort, Surgeres, 

 Saint-Jean-d'Angely, Angouleme, Niort, Poictiers, Tours, Angers, and 

 Saumur, at an early hour. A hundred and forty horses and ninety 

 carts make upwards of thirty-three thousand journeys annually to 

 these cities. Besides this, forty or fifty boats come from Bordeaux, the 

 isles of Ke and Oleron, and from the sands of Olonne, making an 

 aggregate of seven hundred and fifty voyages per annum, distributing 

 the harvest of the little bay at places where horses could not serve 

 the purpose. 



" A bouchot, well furnished, supplies annually, according to the 

 length of its wings, from four to five hundred charges. The charge 

 is a hundred and fifty kilogrammes (over three hundred pounds), and 

 sells for five francs ; a single bouchot thus carries a harvest equal in 

 weight to a hundred and thirty to a hundred and forty thousand 

 pounds, equal in value to 100 ; the whole bay probably yielding a 

 gross revenue of 480,000. This figure, and the abundant harvest 

 which produces it, gives only a slight idea of the alimentary resources 

 of the sea shore ; and every part of the coast, properly adapted for 

 the purpose, could be turned to equal advantage. In the mean time, 

 the Bay of Aiguillon remains a monument of what one man may 

 accomplish." 



While commending the mussel as an important article of food, we 

 must not conceal the fact, that it has produced in certain persons very 

 grave effects, showing that for them its flesh has the effects of poison. 

 The symptoms, commonly observed two or three hours after the repast, 

 are weakness or torpor, constriction of the throat and swelling of the 

 head, accompanied by great thirst, nausea, frequent vomitings, and 

 eruption of the skin and severe itching. 



The cause of these attacks is not very well ascertained ; they have 



