NONSUCH 



Early in the shore assault, the impetuous shock 

 troops having won an advanced position dug them- 

 selves into such concrete bomb-proofs that they have 

 never been able to get out — either to advance or 

 retreat, and there they are today, splendid examples 

 of over-specialization. And not one group but many 

 have thus fallen and taken root by the wayside. 

 Next to jellies, sea anemones would seem to be the 

 most susceptible to unusual outer obstacles, yet here 

 and there on the rocks I find colonies of these wine- 

 colored blobs of hardened jelly, whose resistance to 

 injury from the elements, compared with jelly- 

 fish, is as rubber to cobwebs. 



Advance scouts of crustaceans have won to suc- 

 cess, such as crabs and pill-bugs, but barnacles are 

 shut-ins, forever cribbed and confined between tides. 

 As an esquimo can fish through the floor of his igloo 

 if built on the ice, so barnacles at times of flood 

 reach out through the roof of their marble wigwams 

 and hook in passing bits of food. 



The great race of snails has won a step farther on. 

 After hatching they find some quiet place, and set 

 up a lime kiln and devote themselves to architecture. 

 By subtle alchemy of glands they magic imitation 

 rocks from the invisible water, and mould them on 

 the potter's wheel of their own bodies. Then the 

 limpets and the chitons wage their life war, and ad- 

 vance over the rocks like a battalion of diminutive 

 tanks, — taking shelter in a vacuum-rooted immo- 

 bility under stress of waves, and moving slowly 

 about when hungry. Even the mussels, apparently 



90 



