38 THE OCEAN, 



but most effective contrivance is resorted to. Tlie 

 English name of the species is derived trom the edge 

 of the stem, which is greatly dilated and curled into 

 tortuous waves or plaits. 



A long, narrow, ribbon-like leaf, with a thick mid- 

 rib, grows on the coast of Scotland, where it is called 

 Hen-ware, as well as on the northern shores of Ire- 

 land, where it receives the appellation of Murlins. 

 It is the Alaria esculenta of botanists. It is of a 

 transparent yellow-green, and in the herbarium dries 

 without any change, and has a very beautiful ap- 

 pearance. The midrib is the part usually selected 

 for eating, but Mr. Johns gives us a somewhat imfa- 

 vourable notion of its quality. " While walking," he 

 observes, " round the coast near the Giants' Causeway, 

 I once observed a number of men and women busily 

 employed near the water's edge ; and on inquiring of 

 my guide, found that they were providing themselves 

 with food for their next meal. Being curious to dis- 

 cover what kind of fare the rocks afforded, I stopped 

 one of the men, who was going home with his bundle, 

 and asked him to give me a bit to taste, prepared in 

 the way in which it was generally eaten. He accord- 

 ingly stripped off all the expanded part of a long and 

 narrow leaf, and presented me with a stem, or midrib. 

 It was, I must confess, as good as I expected ; but at 

 best a very sorry substitute for a raw carrot, combin- 

 ing with the hardness of the latter the fishy and 

 coppery flavour of an oyster. I made a very slight 

 repast, as you may suppose ; and after having given 

 the man a few pence for his civility, continued my 

 walk. My guide, however, seemed to think, that if I 



