Sea-side Studies. 143 



afterwards some had three, others four and five fibres ; 

 next day one of them had eighteen fibres ; and again 

 the following day one of them had cast its byssus, and 

 had attached itself three inches farther up the jar by 

 the new fibres before it disengaged itself from the old. 

 I have now often seen the fibres fixed. The part of 

 the foot that performs this office is at a point a little 

 below the apex. When more than one fibre is 

 attached at a time, the lower one is fixed first, then 

 the foot is pushed a little farther up on the same line, 

 and a second and a third are fixed in the same way ; 

 but I have never seen more at a time than three, 

 sometimes two, and often only one." 



How many a wet day at the seaside might be 

 beguiled of its tedium if the weary visitor would 

 rouse himself to repeat or initiate observations and 

 experiments such as these. 



A wide-mouthed glass bottle or a finger-glass will 

 suffice for the aquarium. It matters little how com- 

 mon be the object examined, since a knowledge of 

 its manners and customs is almost sure not to be 

 common. The record of these in a note-book will 

 add to the interest of observing, and, besides the 

 chance of its having in itself a scientific value, will 

 exercise and develop the powers of attention and 

 description. Intimacy thus acquired with the forms 

 and behaviour of a few common marine animals will 

 make the eye and mind keen to appreciate what is 

 rare and strange when opportunity offers. 



During the period between 1850 and 1860, Mr. 

 Robertson had often to carry out his experimental 

 courses in Glasgow amidst the distractions of business ; 



