4 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 



instance, where a fringing coral-reef extends 

 far out to sea. The naturalist's shore-haunt 

 is the whole of the seaweed-growing area, and 

 we call it shore, although the water may be 

 deep enough to float a navy. 



The shore-haunt is not very large compared 

 with other haunts. It occupies about nine mil- 

 lion square miles, but that is only between six 

 and seven per cent, of the sea-covered surface 

 of the globe. It is a very long area, going in 

 and out, by bay and creek, by firth and fiord, 

 for about 150,000 miles. And it is a region of 

 great diversity, differing from place to place 

 according to the geological character of the 

 shore, according to the mineral materials that 

 the streams bring down from the land, and 

 according to the jetsam that is thrown up 

 from the sea. In some places the whole of the 

 shore between tide-marks is covered with a 

 thick mass of dead seaweed, which rots away 

 and smells badly when the tide is out. There 

 are crowds of tiny creatures e.g. allies of 

 sand-hoppers working away among this de- 

 caying seaweed; but the ordinary life of the 

 shore-pools has been smothered, and explora- 

 tion in this kind of shore-haunt is rather an 

 acquired taste. There are shores and shores. 



