THE COASTS OF SAINTONGE. 321 



whole of which had been pre-sold to a retail dealer 

 for the sum of three francs, which was not much 

 more than a centime the pound. However inferior 

 the shrimp may be to the prawn, it can only be for 

 want of proper means of transportation that this 

 Crustacean here remains so much below its true value. 

 AVhen once the railways are completed, the in- 

 habitants of the districts of the Aiguillon will find a 

 new source of wealth in this little animal, which at 

 the present day they estimate so far below its real 

 importance. 



At Esnandes, as at Chatelaillon, I had been un- 

 successful in filling my various tubes and bottles, 

 and when I returned empty-handed from the differ- 

 ent instructive and interesting expeditions which I 

 undertook, my instincts as a zoologist revived, and 

 I felt completely disheartened. The Branchellions 

 were of too rare occurrence to afford me materials of 

 work for a whole season. It was with great difficulty 

 that I obtained five specimens during my stay of more 

 k than two months. Fortunately the sea was at length 

 more favourable to me, whilst the land itself contri- 

 buted its contingent to my studies. The storms 

 from the south-west, which had changed the summer 

 into a rainy and cold autumn, brought into the waters 

 of these coasts some of those strange animals 

 which swarm in the tropical seas, whilst on every 

 side around me I encountered in my country rambles 

 the colonies of one of those insects, which have at- 

 tracted the attention of the naturalist by the sin- 

 gularity of their habits, and which indeed appear ex- 

 pressly created to recall man to sentiments of humility, 



VOL. II. Y 



