/6 A day's microscopic shore-hunting 



Having thus briefly introduced the subject, let us endeavour to 

 imagine ourselves about to start for a day's real practical collecting 

 amongst the low pools. It is an extra low tide, on one of the 

 most charming mornings in May that it is possible to imagine, — 

 there is just enough breeze to make it agreeable and not sufficient 

 to ruffle the surface of the pools, and prevent our examination of 

 the bottom. It will be low water to-day at two o'clock p.m., and 

 as it would be highly dangerous, owing to the rapid flow and deep 

 intersecting channels, to be down at the water's edge at that time 

 without a boat, we will start with the ebb and follow it down, 

 working as we go. 



[I must here mention that it would be the height of folly to 

 work this coast, St. Clement's Bay, unless accompanied by some 

 oie who knows the tide and the place well, as the risk of being 

 cut off is very great.] 



Our outfit consists of a good pair of sea-boots, and clothes 

 that it does not matter about soiling; our apparatus a square 

 handled basket containing a box and a couple of jars, also a case 

 of tubes of fluid ; a small hand-net of cheese-cloth, and a pair of 

 forceps. 



Having arrived at the shore, we find the tide receding fast, and 

 a few rocks already exposed to view. It is agreeable to see that 

 the rocks here are not covered with dense masses of " wrack," 

 which is very advantageous, as we are much better able to 

 examine them or to turn them over; in doing which we find 

 a few Ophiocoina neglecta^ which we transfer to a fluid-tube. 

 But we must proceed, for across this Channel, down which the 

 water is flowing sea-wards like a mill-race, a reef of rugged rocks is 

 exposed, crusted over with Balamis and many shells, such as 

 Purpura lapillus^ and two or three species of Littorina^ a few of 

 which, for the purpose of securing their palates, we will put into 

 our box with some algce. The gelatinous-looking mass attached to 

 this rock is a group of ova of one of the Nudibranch mofluscs, 

 l)robably Doris or Eolis. Ah ! it is the latter, for here is a speci- 

 men of Eolis papulosa close by. Under the microscope, this 

 glairy matrix is seen to contain minute eggs, and as they 

 approach maturity the young Bolides can be defined. We will 

 now turn this big piece of Syenite over, and what a sight meets 



