GREEN LAYER 139 



parts of our coasts, sometimes growing on the 

 rocks themselves, and sometimes on the larger 

 sea-weeds. In colour, it is a deep, dark red, and 

 if you look down upon it on a bright sunny day, 

 as it grows in a pool of clear sea-water, you 

 may see all kinds of lovely rainbow tints playing 

 over its leaves. The leaves or " fronds " as they 

 are more properly called, are about two inches 

 long and a quarter of an inch wide. 



The dulse is one of the sea-weeds which are 

 used for food. On many parts of the coast of 

 Ireland it is very largely eaten, both boiled and 

 raw, and some people are so fond of it that they 

 have it for breakfast every day. 



PLATE XLVII 

 THE GREEN LAYER (i) 



Another name for this plant is the Sea Lettuce ; 

 and certainly, with its broad, bright green, 

 crinkled leaves, it does look rather like a cabbage 

 lettuce. It is a very useful plant to keep in a 

 salt-water aquarium, for its leaves give off little 

 bubbles of oxygen gas, which help to keep the 

 water pure and fit for fishes and other creatures 

 to live in. If you look at it on a bright sunny 

 day you will often find that the leaves are covered 



