6 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 



or wade among the surf on a pebbly shore, 

 for on a rough day we may come out of the 

 water tingling and bruised all over with the 

 continually moving stones. 



The mud flats formed at river-mouths by 

 the soil carried down by the streams have 

 their inhabitants too, as we can easily guess 

 from the large numbers of birds that are busy 

 feeding there at low tide. 



Finally, there is the most populous part of 

 the whole region, the stretch of flat rocks cov- 

 ered with the great seaweeds from which the 

 belt takes its name "the laminarian zone." 

 A part of this region is not uncovered except 

 at very low tides. 



IN DEEPER WATERS NEAR SHORE 



In warm seas, beside a coral-reef for in- 

 stance, naturalists have been able to work for 

 hours at a depth of 10 to 15 feet. They simply 

 put on a metal hood fitting the shoulders and 

 connected with a compression-pump on the 

 launch above by means of a long hose-pipe 

 which allows complete freedom of movement. 

 The diver breathes freely inside his hood, and 

 the weight of it is greatly reduced in the 



