242 THE ILE DE RE. 



rising, to be carried away by the force of the tide. In less than 

 six months the success of the operation in the Bay of St. Brieuc 

 was assured ; for, at the proper season, a great fall of spawn 

 had occurred, and the bottom shells were covered with the spat, 

 while the fascines were so thickly coated with young oysters that 

 an estimate of 20,000 for each fascine was not thought an ex- 

 aggeration. 



OYSTER-FASCINES. 



Twelve months, however, before the date of the experiments 

 I have been describing at St. Brieuc, the artificial culture of 

 oysters had successfully commenced on .another part of the 

 coast — ^namely, the lie de Re off the shore of the lower Oharente 

 (near la RocheUe), in the Bay of Biscay, which may now be 

 designated the capital of French oysterdom, having more pares 

 and claires than Maiennes, Arcachon, Ooncarneau, Oancale, 

 and all the rest of the coast put together, and which, before it 

 became celebrated for its oyster-growing, was only known, in 

 common with other places in France, for its successful culture of 

 the vine. It is curious to note the rapid growth of the industry 

 of oyster-culture on the He de Re. It was begun so recently as 

 1858, and there are now upwards of 4000 parks and claires 

 upon its shores, and the people may be seen as busy in their 

 fish-parks as the market-gardeners of Kent in their strawberry- 

 beds. Oyster-farming on the He was inaugurated by one Boeuf, 

 a stone-mason. This shrewd fellow, who was a keen observer' 

 of nature, and had seen the oyster-spat grow to maturity, began 

 thinking of oyster-culture simultaneously with Professor Coste, 



