III. 

 JButlt)ers in tbe 



THE near approach of the winter season is heralded 

 this morning by the chill east wind and the thin ice 

 which coats the pools left by the receding tide a few 

 hours gone by. To-day we are strolling along a 

 sandy flat of Scottish sea-coast, not far removed 

 from that engineering triumph, the Forth Bridge itself. 

 Pleasant memories of bygone days revive in the mind 

 when we approach the " Shell-bed " as the sandy 

 stretch is termed. One constant feature of the beach 

 has won for it the familiar " Ferry " name. The 

 sea-line at high-water mark is always indicated by 

 a clear, glistening line of shells, whole and broken 

 alike, torn from the sandy depths below, and brought 

 up by the play of the waves. I presume the tides 

 and currents of the bay cast up the shells on the 

 beach and favour the formation of this unbroken and 

 uniform line of shell-debris. 



Beyond this high- water mark you come upon the 

 sand-dunes of the coast. The tough grasses which 

 find a home and habitation in the sand bind the 

 loose wind-blown particles together, and thus aid in 

 the work of land-making. The " Shell-bed " on the 

 Firth of Forth reminds me of a pleasant prospect 

 in scenes far removed from this Scottish estuary. 



