324 BARRICANE POOLS. 



women have given the euphonious appellation of 



I wished to procure some of these species in a liv- 

 ing state, and hoped that I might he able to find them 

 about the rocks at extreme low water, as it was now 

 spring-tide. Therefore, leaving the shell-collectors, 

 I strolled down the long narrow inlet, of which the 

 shell-beach was the head, towards the tide-pools at 

 the water's edge. It was a long way down the cove, 

 which resembles a narrow lane, bounded by high walls 

 ■of sharp and rugged rock ; and as I walked down, I 

 perceived that the accumulated shells were found only 

 at high water mark ; below this there was nothing but 

 soft yellow sand to the edge of the sea. 



The black and rough bounding rocks, however, in- 

 closed in their hollows many pools, some of which 

 were of large dimensions. Those near the water's 

 edge were generally deep, narrow, wall-sided, and 

 dark ; all of which qualities made them excellent ex- 

 ploring ground for a naturalist. Their steepness and 

 depth rendering them difficult of examination from 

 without, I stripped and jumped in, the weather being 

 warm, and worked away with my hammer and chisel, 

 as long as I dared in water breast-high. 



I could find not a single individual of any of the 

 rarer species of shells alive ; but other objects oc- 

 curred, which were not devoid of scientific interest. 

 Among other sea-weeds there were two growing in this 

 deep pool, far under water, which I had not before 

 met with. One was CladostepJms verticillatus, con- 

 sisting of stalks much branched, no thicker than 

 threads, but set round at short intervals with close 



