214 DRIFTED SHELLY SAND. 



Along the margin of the tide, as well as at different 

 levels of the sandy beach, and in the crevices of rock- 

 pools, may frequently be seen small patches of drifted 

 sand and shells, the examination of which will often 

 afford the patient explorer a rich treat. Broken shells 

 and fragments of Zoophytes may compose a considerable 

 portion of the drift, but a careful examination with a lens 

 will generally detect a multitude of minute shells, some 

 of them of very strange shapes, and others, structures of 

 great elegance. The 

 most singular of these 

 minute shells are the 

 debris of a curious 

 tribe of animals of low 

 organization, called 

 Foraminifera, all the 

 species of which are 

 of microscopic size. 

 One genus of this 

 tribe, called Lagena, 

 has a shell resembling 

 either a modern flask 

 |j or an ancient amphora 

 or bottle so perfectly 

 that one might sup- 

 pose the artist had taken the minute shell for his model. 

 There are several species and varieties found in drift- 

 sand, and most of these exist in a semi-fossilized state 

 in the sands of ancient beaches. A monograph of the 

 British species has been given by Mr. W. C. Williamson,* 

 * " Annals of Nat. Hist.," 2nd Series, vol. i. (1848) p. 1, &c. 



