OYSTER AND MUSSEL REPORT. 99 



Society of Arcachon, and especially their able Secretary 

 Emile Duregne. 



Besides going over samples of the oyster " pares " both 

 in boats and by wading, I met at Arcachon Mons. Gustave 

 Daste, a proprietor of pares and exporter of oysters, 

 who gave me a good deal of important information about 

 his methods and the condition of the industry. I also 

 visited M. Daste' s warehouses and establishment for the 

 exportation of oysters at Pointe de l'Aiguillon some way 

 to the east of Arcachon. I met also Mons. Peseux one of 

 the oyster syndicate and a member of the oyster commis- 

 sion, and Mons. Dubourdieu who showed me round his 

 pares. 



From Arcachon I returned to Bordeaux and then pro- 

 ceeded to Koyan, at the mouth of the Gironde, where 

 shrimping and sardine fishing is carried on, and where 

 abundance of small wild oysters are found on the rocks at 

 low tide. Prom Eoyan I went to La Tremblade, La 

 Greve and Marennes which are all near the estuary of the 

 Seudre and are in the most important district for the 

 " fattening " and " greening " of oysters. I was at first at 

 Tremblade and La Greve, and then crossed the Seudre to 

 Marennes where I spent a couple of days examining the 

 oyster " claires." I had a letter of introduction to Mons. 

 Grenier at Bourcefranc in that neighbourhood but he was 

 away at that time for a week. I saw however his claires 

 on the coast a few miles off. I then went on by coach to 

 Pointe le Chapus and saw the small and very primitive 

 oyster pares there, including however the basin of 

 " degorgement " for freeing the oyster from the mud in 

 the intestine before being packed for transport. Here also 

 I saw the mussel enclosures on the shore, and the ground 

 where the girls collect " Pelerins " {Tapes decussata). 



I next crossed to the Island of Oleron and visited 



