CHAPTER VIII. 



Rock-pools— Their Abundance — Southey's Description — Its truth 

 to Nature — Their Loveliness — Chondrus — Its brilliant Reflec- 

 tions — The branching Coryne — A Parasite — A Beautiful 

 Sea- weed — Structure of the Zoophyte — Origin of its name — 

 Tentacles — Their Structure — Egg Capsules — Escape of the 

 Eggs — The Bird's-head Coralline — Elegant Shape of the Poly- 

 pidom -Advantage of studying living Animals — The Cell 

 — The Polype — Its Organization — Muscles — Economy in God's 

 works — A Populous Stone — Enumeration of its Tenants — 

 Reflections — God's Purpose in Creation — The hopeful Future 

 — The Sessile Coryne — ^The Belgian Pedicellina — Its Form 

 and Structure — Production of its Young — Its Habits — Its 

 Affinities — The Slender Pedicellina — Its singular Bulb. 



"ROCK-POOLS. 



What a delight it is to scramble among the rough 

 rocks that gird this stern iron-bound coast, and peer 

 into one after another of the thousand tide-pools that 

 lie in their cavities ! They are particularly abundant 

 here ; and indeed it is to the peculiar character of 

 the rocks, their rugged unevenness, depending upon 

 their laminated structure, and the inclination of their 

 strata, that we are indebted for the pools, which make 

 the coast so rich and tempting a hunting ground to the 

 naturalist. I do not wonder that when Southey had 

 an opportunity of seeing some of these beautiful quiet 



