SCEPTICISM OF ZOOLOGY. 107 



and many an horn- was spent, but not uselessly, in 

 verifying what every tyro knew to be the fact ; but 

 also many an hour was spent in making clear to my- 

 self, not only that certain accepted statements were 

 errors, but how they became accepted. As an example 

 may be mentioned the respiration of sea- slugs (Folids), 

 in the investigation of which I was favoured by fortune 

 as not many are favoured, namely, by, having abund- 

 ance of material to work on. 



There had been a heavy gale all night, and the wind 

 was still high ; down we went to the Tunnel Rocks to 

 watch the tide come in. It was a glorious sight to 

 contemplate the impetuous sea plunging upon the 

 shore with ever-accelerated^ velocity, rising in wrath, 

 and leaping over the reefs with mighty bounds, roar- 

 ing, hissing, groaning, sighing. We stood with our 

 backs leaning against a wall of rock, the spray leaping 

 up into our faces. At length a black mass appeared 

 upon the swelling height, to be lost again in the 

 ridge of foam, and then to reappear ; onwards it came, 

 struojoiino' with the waves which tossed it and tumbled 

 it to and fro, till we descried it to be a bit of wreck. 

 In one instant the sense of the picturesque was sub- 

 merged by a rush of zoological expectation. We 

 sprang down on the shore, anxiously awaiting till the 

 prize should be flung at our feet. It turned out to be 

 the bit of an old cask, which must have been long 

 under water, for it was as black as ebony, and literally 

 covered with Polypes and eggs of Eolids. You may be 

 sure it was welcomed with jubilant shouts, as were the 



