GEOLOGY. 9 



to the pleasure afforded by the study of Natural History, 

 that no other stimulus is wanted to keep the interest 

 of the visitor constantly awake. Instead of finding his 

 time hang heavy, he will often wonder how rapidly the 

 long summer-day has flown by, while he has been occu- 

 pied with some investigation in the midst of which 

 darkness overtakes him. When visiting the sea, to seek 

 relaxation from business, it is astonishing with what 

 zest a person will enter on the pursuit of Natural His- 

 tory, and how invigorating and refreshing he will find 

 it. After a short time, the mind of an habitually busy 

 man finds no relief in complete idleness. He must 

 occupy himself in some manner. He is removed from 

 his ordinary business perhaps, forbidden by a physician 

 from receiving letters that require thought ; his mind 

 is too active to rest unemployed, and there is nothing in 

 the neighbourhood to rouse him. If on the sea-shore, 

 and happily possessing a turn for Natural History,, he 

 is at once supplied with occupation of the most health- 

 ful character. His pursuits lead him to take exercise 

 of body, and, without fatiguing the mind, give it that 

 pleasurable excitement which rapidly restores its tone 

 when suffering from having been over -wrought. It 

 matters little to which of the Natural History sciences 

 he devotes his attention, or whether each in turn en- 

 gages it. Probably, a valetudinarian will find most 

 relief in variety. He can indulge a taste for Geology, 

 either in investigating the sections of strata which 

 the headlands of the coast often admirably exhibit, 

 or in watching the thousand evidences of forces in ope- 

 ration which are gradually changing the level of our 



