Anglo-Norman Islands. 301 



soon presents perpendicular rocks, forming vertical cliffs 

 overlianging the abyss and attaining a great height. Through- 

 out its wliole length to the Pointe St. Martin the south coast 

 of Guernsey presents a series of picturesque bays and inden- 

 tations separated by bold promontories. The perpendicular 

 rocks forming these, being constantly beaten by the waves, 

 are hollowed into numerous caves ; gradually worn away at 

 their base, they fall down in different parts and leave the deep 

 indentations which irregularly cut into the coast. Thus on 

 quitting Pleinmont Point and travelling eastwards we succes- 

 sively come upon the bays of the Creux-Mahie, Bon-Repos, 

 La Moye, Petit-Bot, Icart, and Moulin-Huet, all places cele- 

 brated as very remarkable sites. 



I have visited nearly all these bays at low water, and most 

 of them had only to offer me naked rocks and an extremely 

 poor fauna. The Moulin-Huet Bay alone forms an exception. 

 The head of this little gulf presents rocks of pegmatite cut 

 into sharp points and covered with Algoe, sponges, and Ac- 

 tiuise, the whole somewhat reminding one of the fauna of the 

 caves of GouHot, in Sark, although much less rich tiian in the 

 latter station. Cynthia rustica, Halichondria panicea^ and 

 Ilymeniacidon mammeata are highly developed, and are asso- 

 ciated with Cynthia sulcatula, Molgula socialisj Leucosolenia 

 lacunosa, Grantia compressa and G. ensata, and Sycon cilia- 

 turn and 8. tessellatum. Actinia equina is represented by 

 numerous varieties ; some examples of Sagartia sphyrodeta^ 

 Gosse, are also met with. 



On passing the Pointe St. Martin the coast, which runs 

 thence nortliward, is seen to become somewhat lower, although 

 still remaining considerably elevated, except at the level of 

 Fermain Bay. It falls rather suddenly at a short distance 

 from the jetty which bounds the port of St. Pierre on the 

 south. The fauna of Fermain Bay is rather poor; [ met 

 with hardly anything there except a few specimens of Caryo- 

 phyllia Smithii, Stokes. 



Sponges. 



The Sponge-fauna is particularly rich on the coast of 

 Guernsey. Besides Sycon ciliatum, which is common eveiy- 

 where, 1 found at Moulin-Huet, at Bordeaux, and at Belgrave 

 Bay specimens of S. tessellatum^ Bow., a sponge which, 

 according to Bowerbank, occurs only at the caves of Gouliot. 

 Grantia compressa and G. ensata are also common at Bor- 

 deaux, where they are associated with Leucosolenia lacunosa. 

 Leucosolenia hotrylloides is common in all the meadows of 



