suspected by the lay person as even remotely con- 

 nected with the work. Therefore, on a collecting 

 expedition I am now about to describe, it need 

 occasion no surprise to learn that although my 

 quest was for creatures almost microscopic in size, 

 my equipment consisted not of fine-meshed muslin 

 nets and glass containers or even powerful optical 

 accessories, but merely a hand-lens, a wooden tub, 

 and a garden rake. 



A December sun gave out scant comfort when 

 with my Faithful Assistant at the wheel of the 

 Hippocampus I ran the engine at its fullest speed 

 as we headed out from the cove straight into a 

 freezing, half-gale sea. As we passed close to the 

 breakwater at the harbor entrance, a lone fisher- 

 man perched on one of its massive stones stared at 

 us and shook his head, but said nothing; evidently 

 reserving his opinion of two foolhardy irrespon- 

 sibles who would venture out into the Sound in 

 such weather aboard a tiny catboat. 



But we knew the Hippocampus. And in less than 

 an hour we were anchored in the lee of a line of 

 enormous glacial boulders reaching several hun- 

 dred feet out into the water from a promontory on 

 the Long Island shore. 



[431 



