io THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



use for this purpose, only the Oarweeds or Laminaria should be 

 employed. It is these thick Brown Seaweeds that make the rocks 

 so slippery, and necessitate very careful walking. The stem of 

 the Laminaria is very strong, and is used for making handles to 

 knives. When fresh, the stem is soft enough to allow the end of 

 a knife-blade to be thrust longitudinally into it. A portion of 

 the stem, long enough for the knife handle, is cut off, and in a few 

 months it dries, contracting with such force as to fix the blade ; 

 the dried stem has the appearance and toughness of stag's horn. 



The Red Seaweeds are particularly beautiful from the variety 

 of their colouring. They are many of them very minute, often 

 only a few inches in length. These are best seen in the shallow 

 pools of water left by the retreating tide on the rocks. In such 

 situations the variety of colouring is enhanced by the background 

 of the rock and the transparency of the water, when the sun is on 

 it, provided the light is not too intense. Some of these Seaweeds 

 are used as articles of food ; the Irish or Carrageen Moss (Chondrus 

 crispus) is one of the best known. When boiled it forms a thick, 

 colourless jelly that is said to be very nutritive. The Sea 

 Lettuce and the Purple Laver are often eaten ; they should be 

 gathered in the winter, or early spring, and stewed for several 

 hours. 



If Seaweeds are being collected for a herbarium, they should be 

 well washed in fresh water, in order to get rid of the salt ; then 

 pieces of card the size required should be slipped under them as 

 they float in the water. In this way it is possible to spread out 

 all the branches. The Seaweeds have in them a certain gelatinous 

 substance, which usually glues them down firmly to the paper ; 

 if necessary they may be fixed by the gelatine obtained from 

 boiling down the Iceland Moss. 



The flowering plants belonging to pebbly beaches have either 

 long tap roots which penetrate between the loose, dry stones, and 

 reaching the subsoil get food material and water from it ; or they 

 have a shallow root-system, adapted to the less dry portion of the 

 bank. To the former group belong the Horned Poppy and the 

 Sea Holly ; to the latter the Sea Purslane. 



The Horned Poppy (Glaucium flavwn) is so named from the 

 long curved pods with two stigmas. These fruits may be even 



