4 NATURAL HISTORY OF OUR SHORES 



of its visitors, it is just what a well-appointed library 

 would be to a lad who has not learned to read. Such lad 

 would find pleasure in a survey of the bright colourings 

 and gilded bindings, but to him the glories that lie within 

 the close-packed pages would have no existence. 



My object in writing this little book is to help to open 

 some of the volumes in this part of Nature's library, to 

 assist in deciphering the text, and to point out, as far as I 

 am able, the more readily understood passages. 



Therefore to those who, while not prepared to " give up, 

 in short, both business and sport, and give themselves up 

 tout entier to philosophy," as did Sir Robert the Good, but 

 who none the less would wish to gain an insight into the 

 life histories, the place in Nature, and the ways and doings 

 of some of the myriad forms that live upon our shores, I 

 venture to address the chapters that follow. 



It is only a few forms among these myriads that can be 

 dealt with within the limits of this book, but I trust to be 

 able to say sufficient to create an interest in the subject, 

 and that my effort may prove a stepping-stone to the high- 

 class monographs, each dealing with a particular section, 

 that exist. 



A learned writer has recently said that, to the naturalist 

 of old, living things were objects to be collected, named, 

 and classified, while to the modern one they are things to 

 be studied and explained. 



If this definition of each is complete, then I think that 

 both ancient and modern fall short of completeness, and, 

 holding that the thing studied and explained should also 

 be collected and classified, I shall devote a not inconsider- 

 able portion of my book to the matter of collection and 

 preservation. 



For, even apart from their scientific value, well-preserved 

 specimens form interesting mementoes of days spent on 

 the sea-shore. 



