166 THE SEA-SHORE. 



the sea, we will only take a passing glance at the 

 most conspicuous of these. One of the prettiest 

 is the Sea-pink,* or Thrift, so called from its 

 thriving in nearly all situations. You are, no 

 doubt, familiar with it as an edging of garden- 

 beds. In such situations it produces longer leaves, 

 of a brighter green, than when it grows on the sea- 

 shore, and flowers of a deeper rose-colour. There, 

 of course, it is merely a visitor; but it is very 

 commonly met with at a great distance from the 

 sea, growing naturally high up among the moun- 

 tains, when it assumes the habit of Alpine plants, 

 in producing large flowers slightly elevated above 

 the surface of the ground. This capability of 

 flourishing on the sea-shore, as well as in moun- 

 tainous districts, is not peculiar to Thrift, for the 

 Sea-campion f (with, perhaps, some others,) is re- 

 markable for choosing the same places of growth. 

 I am not aware that either of these grows spon- 

 taneously in any intermediate locality ; nor can I 

 assign any reason for this peculiarity. Some light 

 would probably be thrown on the subject, were the 

 stems of each to be analyzed, and the result duly 

 recorded; in which case the presence or absence 

 of the salts, generally found to enter into the com- 

 position of marine plants, would afford a founda- 

 tion for establishing some theory. 



The Yellow Horn-poppy J is conspicuous for its 

 large gaudy flowers, and for its seed-vessels, which 

 are remarkably long, but scarcely exceed in dia- 

 meter the stems which support them. The Sea- 

 convolvulus will be sure to attract your atten- 

 tion, delighting, as it does, to expand its large 



* Statice Armeria. f Silene maritime! . 



| Glaucium luteum. Convolvulus Soldanella. 



