70 THE SHORE 



sary, with a weighted and measured codline, and 

 based on the angles obtained by the sextant between 

 three posts fixed 100 or 200 yards apart on the shore) 

 is often a most useful supplement to existing charts, 

 and gives information of great value. It would at 

 least show the existence of submerged terraces, if 

 present, and they are the best proof of subsidence in 

 any region. 



Whatever of marine life the naturalist collects in the 

 tropics is almost sure to be of interest and value. If 

 he has little time at his disposal, he will probably be 

 able to get or to give to others a good idea of the 

 marine life of the locality by simply walking along the 

 shore, or visiting some outgrowing spit of sand, and 

 dropping into a canvas bag everything which seems to 

 him to be of organic formation, not forgetting to in- 

 clude also a sample of the sand itself. He may search 

 also for the numerous animals found between the 

 tide-marks, employing a native or two with buckets. 

 in which the larger beasts are placed, while he himself 

 carries a satchel with two or three dozen tubes of 

 different sizes, into which he puts the smaller beasts, 

 corking them up in sea water ; they can then be trans- 

 ferred to the proper killing and preserving fluids on 

 his return to his ship or tent. Let him carry with him 

 as a walking-stick a small crow-bar, to turn over masses 

 of rock, while one of his "boys" has a hand-net of 

 fine mesh ; coarse forceps should be looped on his belt. 

 A little of such collecting is valuable, to give him an 

 idea of the shore-beasts as a whole and of their work 

 in protecting or destroying the land. But much of 

 the action of the sea and its organisms goes on below 

 tide-level. This can only be satisfactorily ascertained 

 by dredging or trawling from a ship or boat. If this 

 is impossible, let the naturalist get some old rope-ends, 



