BARRICANF BEACH. 323 



hilia, wliicli every visitor to the town must see 

 without fail. Its peculiarity is, that it has a beach 

 entirely composed of shells, some of which are rare, 

 or at least are not found anywhere else in this vicinity. 

 The scenery around is also varied and beautiful, and 

 would of itself present sufiicient attractions to reward 

 a visit. It lies about half a mile below Morte, at the 

 foot of the cliffs of the promoDtory, and at one end 

 of that long incurved shore, known as WooUacombe 

 Sands. 



From the grassy slope at the top of the cliffs a 

 narrow footpath leads steeply down to an area of what 

 seems to be small pebbles ; but which, on examina- 

 tion, prove to be shells, of many kinds. Most of 

 these, ha^ing been washed up by the tides, are broken 

 into fragments ; but a good number are found in toler- 

 able integrity. Groups of women and girls from the 

 neighbouring hamlets may always be seen, during the 

 summer months, raking with their fingers among the 

 fragments, for unbroken specimens ; collections of 

 which thev offer for sale to visitors. 



Among the shells of which the beach is composed, 

 there were some which were interesting to me. Be- 

 sides two or three little kinds of whelk, and the 

 common murex and purpura, which are everywhere 

 abundant, and the beautiful little cowry, which can- 

 not be considered rare, there is the elegant wentle-trap 

 fScalaria communis), the elephant's tusk or horn- 

 shell (Dentalium entalisj, the cylindrical dipper 

 C Bulla cylindraceaj, called by the local collectors 

 " maggot," and the beaded Nerite fNatica monili- 

 feraj, a large and beautiful shell, to which the 



