68 SEA WEEDS. 



If you will examine the beach during the recess of 

 the tides, particularly after a storm, you will find it 

 thickly strewn with frr gments of the most beautiful 

 plants; some being colored with the most brilliant 

 shades of crimson, some sparkling as with gold, or 

 glittering like silver, and all possessing a very pecu- 

 liar and cu/ious formation; while in the little pools 

 among the rocks may be seen many of the lower 

 forms of animal life, which are truly wonderful. 

 Almost any of the marine plants are suitable for the 

 Aquarium, and it is here that their peculiar habits 

 may be most carefully studied. They generally thrive 

 well with little care, and mostly present a singular 

 appearance, fastened to the rocks, and growing we 

 scarce know how. A few of these, well chosen and 

 tastefully arranged in a glass tank, together with 

 shell-fish, Sea Anemones, and a few Sticklebacks and 

 Minnows to give life to the whole, will form an object 

 which cannot fail to interest the most unthinking in- 

 dividual. 



There are some plants found growing on the rocks 

 near the sea, which, although they resemble the sea- 

 weeds in some respects, belong to a different class, 

 and a slight knowledge of botany will enable any one 

 to distinguish between them. 



The Samphire is an example; it is an umbellifer- 

 ous plant, and never grows below the surface of the 

 water, but fastens itself upon the rocks just beyond 

 the reach of the tide, but where it can receive suffi- 

 cient moisture from the spray. 



An interesting anecdote is related of some ship- 



