158 The Naturalist of Cumbrae. 



from breaking into pieces. Their experience of its 

 use in this respect had been only partially satisfactory, 

 but it was now at once applied to the avenues of the 

 Luidia. Just as they were hastening to deal with the 

 last ray, it began to break off within an inch of the 

 extremity. By an instant drenching with glycerine, 

 its destructive propensity was put a stop to. The 

 specimen is still the finest in Mr. Robertson's collec- 

 tion, and exhibits the arrested effort at disintegration. 



Finding that the boat was of little use, the Robert- 

 sons landed for the purpose of shore-hunting, and in 

 this the harvest was more productive. But while 

 they were poking about on an elevated part of the 

 shore between tide-marks the tide crept up unobserved 

 and surrounded them. 



As there was no great danger, they were unwilling 

 to strip off shoes and stockings in order to wade 

 through a stretch of soft black uninviting mud. The 

 firmer route by which they had reached their 

 eminence was shut off by deeper water. On the 

 other hand, there was still accessible to them a stone 

 dyke put loosely together without mortar. This they 

 proceeded to scale. When on the top, it was 

 necessary to advance on hands and knees. Mrs. 

 Robertson took the lead, and her husband brought 

 up the rearguard. They found, indeed, that it re- 

 quired far more skill than they had calculated on to 

 balance themselves on the loose ridge of unsteady 

 stones. Nevertheless, they managed to outcrawl " the 

 cruel crawling foam " of the incoming tide, and to win 

 their way in safety, and dry-shod, beyond that am- 

 phibious region which sea and land alternately claim 



