NOVEMBER, 1882. 245 



are soon in the rush of Etive's tide, with mud coming in 

 up to our elbows, and fresh water above and salt water 

 below sorely trying our enthusiasm. Suddenly we dive 

 into the argilaceous mass, and no longer fear the " bit 

 shower," for has not a Peden Septemradiatus come up, 

 one of those strong-ribbed, handsome scallops, not one 

 of which has hitherto met us in the surrounding waters 

 of Benderloch ? The tentacles are shorter and the ocelli 

 smaller than in our other pectens, but it is a handsome, 

 finely marked, and finely coloured shell, and the only 

 important British species we had hitherto looked upon 

 as absent from our waters. 



Now we feel the strong beat, beat, as the iron travels 

 over rough ground, and when the contents are once 

 more emptied we are again rewarded with notable shells. 

 Those who seek the wonders of the deep are ever 

 anxious to obtain the strong-shelled limpet, with a rich 

 nacreous lining and a deep silt in the margin, known as 

 Emarginula crassa. This beautiful and interesting 

 mollusc frequents rocky or rough ground, on which it is 

 difficult to work any instrument that would bring up the 

 inhabitants, without great risk of said instrument of what- 

 ever kind being broken or lost. So a creature that may 

 be common enough on natural ground is rarely captured, 

 and consequently becomes the more eagerly sought after. 

 Living on the same ground and coming up along with 

 him, we find several fine specimens of that Cornucopia- 

 shaped shell the " Hungarian's Cap," which reaches 

 such size and beauty on the South Coast of England ; 

 while numerous specimens of Astartt, that richly toned, 

 finely marked, northern shell, come up to reconcile us 

 to our own fauna. 



The sea bottom after all is just like our woods and 



