COMMON OBJECTS OP THE SHORE. 337 



when touched. That the Greeks used them as 

 we do for domestic purposes, is evident from 

 their name, which is derived from the Greek word 

 to squeeze. Homer, too, relates how Vulcan 

 obeyed the command of Thetis : 



" First from the forge dislodged, he thrust apart 

 His bellows, and his tools collecting all, 

 Bestow'd them careful in a silver chest ; 

 Then all around with a wet sponge he wiped 

 His 



To those who love to stray among the wild 

 solitudes of nature, 



" To sit on rocks, to muse o'er flood and fell," 



there is something very delightful in the nooks 

 among the crags at the base of the cliffs. Some 

 little plants that love the saline air, some green 

 patch of grass or bright flower, has found a place 

 on which to spring, and may form a cushion for us 

 on the jutting crag. And there, far away from 

 the haunts of men, the tall white cliff overhanging 

 him and contrasting with the deep blue sky, the 

 wild murmuring of the sea, the strange shrill 

 screams of the sea birds, seem to awaken the echoes 

 of the heart 



" The universe's inward voices cry 

 Amen to either song of joy or woe," 



and the human heart responds alike to the wail 

 or mirth note of nature. The sea-gulls come 

 crowding or singly, 



" Each on its separate track of life, 

 And each a mystery." 



We have many species of these birds, and the 

 common gull (Larus canus) may be seen cresting 

 z 



