384 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



of fifli that live, befide, in a foggy climate, aban* 

 doned for a great part of the year to gloomy Win- 

 ters and long tempefts. We may venture to af- 

 firm, that Nature has veiled their beauty, only to 

 preferve it for thd* enjoyment of Man, and has 

 placed them only on the verge of the fhores, where 

 the Sea purifies them, by toffing them about, to put 

 them witliin his reach. Thus, by a moft wonderful 

 contrail, fhe places the moft brilliant fliells, in 

 regions the moft expofed to the ravages of the 

 elements; and, by another contraft, no lefs afto- 

 niihing, ftie prefents to the poor Patagonians 

 fpoons and cups, the luftre of which far furpaffes, 

 beyond all contradidion, the richeft plate of po- 

 lilhed Nations. 



Hence it may be inferred, that fifhes in gene- 

 ral, and fliell-fifti in particular, which have two 

 oppofite colours, live on two different grounds, 

 as we have obferved in the cafe of birds, and that 

 thofe which 4iave only one colour frequent only 

 one ground." I recoiled:, that on making the 

 tour of the lile of France, on foot, along the 

 fhore of the Sea, I found upon it nerits with 

 an alli-gray ground, encircled with red ribbons, 

 fometimes on the dufky rocks, fometimes on the 

 white madrépores, with their peach-coloured 

 flowers. They contrafted in the moft agreeable 

 manner, and appeared at the bottom, on the fea- 



plants. 



