362 STILL SEARCHING. CHAP. xxi. 



found the smiddy hammer very heavy, especially after 

 working with it for some hours. But still he went on. 



On the 20th of January he made his fifth trial. He 

 was on the rocks before daylight. It was still hard 

 frost. " I had chosen," he says, " new ground. I had 

 great expectations. The tide was ebbing fast; and 

 thundering, great, long, high rolling breakers, were dash- 

 ing themselves on the rocks. And then what foam ! I 

 was obliged to wait until the sea had gone down. In 

 the meantime I tried a new place. I raised three large 

 lumps of rock. I split them, and found three rusty, 

 ugly heads of Dipterus and scales. Nothing new. 

 Then I went back to the real place. 



" When I got there, I laid down my weights and 

 reconnoitred. Alas ! I saw no hope. The ledges were 

 rotten. I worked until one o'clock at midday, and got 

 only scales, two rotten heads, a bit of plant, and a bit 

 of bone. On my way home I tried another and a very 

 hard spot. I worked there until two o'clock, but found 

 only scales, fin-rays, and gill-covers. I was now 

 chagrined, tired, and hungry! So I returned home, 

 weary and heavy laden." Next morning he was up at 

 four, working at his trade. 



In this way did Dick go on, trying to perfect the 

 knowledge with which he was already partially 

 acquainted, and also trying to acquire new knowledge 

 by his persevering labour among the rocks, with hammer, 

 and pick, and chisels, from day to day. He thus 

 gradually accumulated a new store of fossils. The 

 Asterolepis which he discovered, and which afterwards 



