100 TEANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Chateau d'Oleron, then St. Pierre and finally Boyardville 

 and from there returned to the mainland at La Eochelle. 

 I had intended going to the Island of Re also but heard at 

 Eochelle that it was much the same as Oleron, so, as my 

 time was very limited, I gave it up. After examining the 

 shore about Eochelle, and getting what information I 

 could, I went on to the bay of Aiguillon to see the con- 

 ditions under which mussel culture is there carried on. 

 To reach the small villages on the edge of this enormous 

 mud-swamp which has been rendered profitable in such a 

 wonderful way by means of the " bouchot " system of 

 mussel culture, it is necessary to go by train from Eochelle 

 to Marans a small station on the line to Eoche-sur-Yon 

 and then find one's way across country for 10 or 12 

 kilometres to the shores of the bay. I visited the village 

 of Charron and saw the bouchot s there. 



I then went on to Eoche-sur-Yon and from there to Les 

 Sables d'Olonne where there is a huge oyster pare behind 

 the harbour with built stone sides. From Sables I went 

 to Nantes and from there to the coast near the mouth of the 

 Loire in the neighbourhood of Le Croisic, Pornichet, and 

 Le Poulignen where there are oyster pares and claires, and 

 at Le Croisic a great inland basin somewhat as at 

 Arcachon and Sables d'Olonne. At Croisic moreover I 

 specially wished to see and hear about the shrimp traps 

 and take some photographs of them. This was satis- 

 factorily managed, and I then returned home by Nantes 

 and Paris. 



I shall now discuss the chief fishery centres I saw, in 

 order, beginning at the Southern end of the series. 



Arcachon. 

 Arcachon is probably the most important centre for the 

 study of oyster culture. It is one of the two places where 



