HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



197 



every inch of these Devonshire coasts, and the south- 

 western marine fauna is peculiarly rich, although, in 

 my opinion, no richer than the shores of the Isle of 

 Wight, which I had worked in previous years ; still 

 there is more than enough at Salcombe for the most 



gelatinous sac of a tiny hydroid, Lucernaria auricula, 

 which expanded in the water like an olive brown lily 

 barely a quarter of an inch in height, with eight 

 clusters of tentacles and masses of ovules within the 

 bell-shaped body. The next morning I was peering 



KlNGSBRIDCE 



Channel 



SCALE I INCH TO A MILE 



Prawle Point 



Fig. 114. 



omnivorous worker, and I soon found myself with 

 many a bottle of stuff awaiting examination at home. 

 A chance occurrence served to rekindle my interest 

 in the Hydroids and parasitic Polyzoa. A hook at the 

 end of five fathoms of fishing-line brought up to the 

 side of our boat a frond of some olive-coloured 

 Fucus. Attached to the weed there was the 



once more into still and quiet tidal pools in the old 

 familiar style, smashing pickle bottles now and then 

 on slippery rocks, or landing on my back in 

 unexpected places. 



There was no occasion to wander far away. A 

 huge cleft in the rocks formed a natural aquarium all 

 ready at hand, where algoe such as Laminaria, Fucus, 



