46 EDIBLE BRITISH MOLLUSKS. 



of a Naturalist/ gives an account of the origin and de- 

 velopment of the mussel-trade on the French coast. 

 " An Irishman of the name of Walton was shipwrecked on 

 the coast in 1235, near the little village of Esnandes, in 

 the Bay of Aiguillon, and was the only person saved out 

 of all the crew of the ill-fated vessel. He amply repaid 

 the services which had been rendered him ; some sheep 

 were saved from the wrecks which he crossed with the 

 animals of the country, producing a breed of sheep 

 which is still held in high estimation. He invented a 

 kind of net, the ' allouret,' for catching shore birds 

 which skim the surface of the water at twilight or dark, 

 and in order to make these nets thoroughly effective, it 

 was necessary to go to the centre of the immense bed of 

 mud, where the birds sought their food, and to secure a 

 number of poles to support the nets, which were between 

 300 and 400 yards in length. On examining these poles, 

 Walton discovered that they were covered with mussel 

 spawn. He then increased the number of his poles, and 

 after various attempts he constructed his first artificial 

 mussel-bed, or bouchot. At the level of the lowest tides 

 he drove into the mud stakes that were strong enough 

 to resist the force of the waves, and placed them in two 

 rows about a yard distant from each other. This double 

 line of poles formed an angle, whose base was directed 

 towards the shore, and whose apex pointed to the sea. 

 This palisade was roughly fenced in with long branches, 

 and a narrow opening having been left at the extremity 

 of the angle, wicker-work cases were arranged in such a 

 manner as to stop any fishes that were being carried back 

 by the retreating tide. It was soon found inexpedient 

 to trust only to the chance of the currents and waves 

 that might bring in the young mussels to the poles and 



