THE SEA-SIDE NATURALIST 29 



coast really begins to be of great interest to the naturalist. From 

 here to the Land's End almost every part of the shore will yield a 

 great variety of life in abundance, and the same is true of the rocky 

 coasts of the west, and also of the more rugged shores of the Isle 

 of Wight. As an ideal hunting-ground one cannot do better than 

 to select one of the small fishing towns or villages on the rocky 

 coasts of Devon and Cornwall. With such a spot as his head- 

 quarters the most enthusiastic sea-side naturalist will find ample 

 employment. The exposed rocks and rock pools yield abundance 

 of life ; and if these be searched when the tide is out, there will 

 remain plenty of sea angling and other employments to occupy him 

 at other times. 



We will now describe the actual work of the sea-side naturalist, 

 giving the necessary instructions for the observation and collection 

 of the various living things he will meet with. 



First, then, with regard to work on the cliffs, a very few words 

 will suffice ; for, seeing that the objects of interest to be met with 

 here will consist principally of the various flowers that are peculiar 

 to or characteristic of the sea shore, and certain insects and other 

 creatures more or less partial to a life on the cliffs, we may regard 

 these as coming within the range of the general work of the 

 botanist, entomologist, &c. ; and since instructions for the collection 

 and preservation of such objects have already been given in former 

 works of this series, we may pass them over at once in order to 

 deal with those objects which are essentially marine. 



It has already been hinted that the right time for collecting on 

 the shore is when the tide is at its lowest ; and in order that the 

 best work may be done the collector should consult the local tide- 

 tables, or calculate, if necessary, the time of high tide from the 

 establishment of the port ; and, of course, the period of spring tides 

 should be selected if possible. The time during which work should 

 continue must be regulated according to the enthusiasm of the 

 collector or the time at his disposal, but, as a rule, it is advisable 

 to be on the scene of action about three hours before the time 

 of low tide, with a determination to work continuously until the 

 lowest ebb of the water. 



On reaching the beach it is always advisable to start by 

 examining the line of miscellaneous material at high-water mark, 

 along which may be found quite a variety of objects, more or less 

 interesting, which have been washed in by the breakers, especially 

 just after a storm, together with numerous scavengers of the shore 



