126 THE TANSY. 



the cliff over the month of these cavities, greatly 

 increased the romantic effect ; after rainy weather, I 

 can well suppose it a fine columnar cascade, though 

 now it was small. 



South of these arches, the cliffs hecome low and 

 shelving, so that it was not difficult to scramhle down 

 to the water-side. The wash of the sea, however, was 

 much too great to make it anything of a collecting 

 ground. Besides the smooth Anemone, a few Troclii 

 and Purpurce^ a Tansy or two {Blennms pliolis), and 

 other equally common things, no animal life was visi- 

 ble. Algse were fine, of certain species. Laminaria 

 digitata was waving in gTcat magnificence ; and that 

 singular plant Himantlialia lorea^ consisting of long 

 and slender thongs springing from the centre of a 

 flat button : Cliondrus, Rhodymenia, Cermnium^ and 

 Folysiplionia^ of common sorts, were all luxuriant in 

 the sheltered nooks between the boulders. I got 

 also some deep-red mossy tufts of the delicate Calli- 

 thamnion hyssoidcum, growing on the stems of other 

 Algse, but on the whole my excursion was fruitless 

 in respect to natural history, though prolific in enter- 

 tainment. 



THE TANSY. 



One is apt to slight, as too mean to be worthy of 

 notice, those objects which are very common, though 

 they may possess as many points of intrinsic interest 

 as others, which, because they are more rare, occupy a 

 more prominent place in our regard. I have two or 

 three times passed by the Smooth Blenny, Shanny, 

 or as it is here called, Tansy [Blennius p)holis), with 



