20 THE STORY OF ANIMAL LIFE 



the shore between tide-marks, and with the great 

 seaweed called Tangle, which has its habitat a 

 little lower down, and forms great sea-meadows, 

 whose upper limits alone are ever laid bare by 

 the tide. The Patella pellucida, too, is fairly 

 common, and the dead shell may be found on 

 most rocky parts of our coast all the year round. 

 ,As for the blue-striped young shell, floating on 

 the blades of the tangle, those who have leisure 

 to visit the seaside during the months of spring 

 and early summer, may have seen it as I have 

 described it ; and the mention of it will recall 

 pleasant memories of clear spring skies, and fresh 

 sea-winds, and fields of heavy tangle swaying 

 gently on the swell that comes in from the open 

 sea. It is interesting to know something of the 

 habits of the creatures whose forms we study, 

 and we have already spoken of the snug little 

 hiding-place that the Semi-transparent Limpet 

 finds for itself in the tangle-root. It is of in- 

 terest to remember -that the Common Limpet, 

 too, is a home-loving creature, which knows and 

 prefers the spot of rock on which it habitually 

 rests ; and can find its way back to it, aided by 

 its two eyes and two smelling patches. This has 

 been proved by Professor Lloyd Morgan, who 

 has recorded the result of his observations, made 

 on the coast of Dorsetshire. It is not easy to 

 detach a Limpet from the rock without injuring 

 or exhausting it, but these specimens were caught 

 when moving of their own accord, and were 

 therefore uninjured and brisk. They were re- 

 moved to short distances, and the following table 

 shows the result of the experiment, clearly prov- 

 ing that the Limpet prefers home, but regards a 

 distance of two feet as a very long journey. 



