A NATURALIST'S RAMBLES. 



CHAPTEE I. 



A Flitting to the Coast — Rival Claims of North and South De- 

 von — Mary church selected— Beauty of Devonshire Lanes — 

 Author's outfit — First exploring jaunt — Babbicombe sands 

 — Pretty Rock-pool — Petit Tor — Jackdaws — Kestrel — Pol- 

 lock-fishing on the Rocks — Boulders examined — Contents of a 

 shallow Pool — Green Sea-worm — Smooth Anemone — Turn- 

 ing stones at Babbicombe — Finger- cutting Serpulse — Na- 

 ked-gilled Mollusca — Their elegance and beauty — Manners 

 in Captivity — Spawn of Doris — Form and Structure of the 

 young — Anthea — Its Form and Colours — Voracity of an Eolis 

 — Manners of Anthea — Its Mode of marching — of swimming 

 — Beautiful Variety — Reflections. 



"You are seriously ill, Henry," said my wife; "you 

 have been in the study a great deal too much lately ; 

 you must throw it all up, and take a trip into the 

 country." 



"0 no," said I, "not bad enough for that, I hope ; a 

 few days' inaction, with God's blessing, will set me 

 right. I do not want to leave London." 



But I got worse ; sitting by the parlour fire, doing 

 nothing, was dreary work ; and it was not much 

 mended by traversing the gravel walks of the garden 



B 



