INTRODUCTION. t) 



to swell the list of marine animals, and associate with the 

 venerable city interests and ties of no common order even in 

 this department alone. 



The sea-margin at St. Andrews, like other parts of the 

 east coast of Scotland, presents decided differences when 

 contrasted with the northern, southern, and western shores, 

 though many forms are common to all. Thus the laminarian 

 zone at St. Andrews is much less luxuriant than that of the 

 Zetlandic waters with the fine forests of gigantic tangles, 

 amidst which there is a galaxy of animal life. The vegetation 

 of its littoral zone is surpassed l>y the rich Fuci of the tidal 

 rocks and the trailing masses of Chorda filum on the surface 

 of the sea immediately beyond low-water mark in the Outer 

 Hebrides. Its marine forms are placed under very different 

 circumstances from those in the quiet voes of West Shetland, 

 as at Cliff Sound and between the Burras, where the still sea- 

 water is bridged by a single arch of a few feet. To represent 

 the Zostera-ftelds of the west and south there are but a few 

 Conferva?, Ulvce, and Porphyrm attached to stones on the flat 

 surfaces of the beach. There is no confusion of fresh and salt 

 water as in the Hebrides, where from a hill-top the eye is 

 quite unable to trace the intricate connexions of the endless 

 lakes or distinguish the one element from the other at full tide — 

 where, moreover, the breadth of the highway is the only sepa- 

 ration in some cases between the rich vegetation of the fresh 

 water, with its white and yellow water-lilies, and the swamps 

 of Zostera and Conferva of the salt. The calcareous rocks of 

 the south, and the multitudes of worm-eaten boulders scattered 

 on many parts of the shore, as in the Isle of Wight, form 

 likewise a boldly marked contrast, which is heightened in 

 some of the chalky bays by the semi-milky colour of the 

 flowing tide (from calcareous admixture). Boring forms are 

 very conspicuous in the latter rocks, but they are by 

 no means confined to them ; indeed they abound at St. 

 Andrews. The muddy beach at the estuary of the Eden 

 affords a site for the splendid mussel-beds ; but (though 

 Corophiitm is present in both) it cannot be compared with 

 the tenacious greyish mud which sometimes, as at Herm, 

 retains footprints so firmly that they are visible after 



C 



