MARKET-DAY AT SAVANNA -LE-MAR. 59 



however, I had better opportunities of admiring 

 these large Echini, a species of Cydaris, with very 

 long purple spines ; and also of seeing what had 

 escaped my notice at this time, the magnificent living- 

 Corals that form great bushes, if I may so say, on 

 the bottom. They principally grow in large, irregu- 

 larly-waved foliations, and in thick-set shrubs of 

 cylindrical branches much ramified. After two hours' 

 rowing we landed at Savanna-le-Mar, and I found 

 myself in the midst of the market, held on the very 

 beach ; a scene somewhat similar in its character to 

 the morning bustle on Bluefields beach, but much 

 livelier and more like a rustic fair. The country 

 people, as fast as they arrived, either by land or 

 water, displayed their produce, in heaps, on white 

 cloths spread out on the ground, and squatted down 

 by them, or stood to chat and laugh with their ac- 

 quaintances ; while the townspeople were bringing 

 their wares from their respective stores, and layuig 

 out cloths and linens, butter and pork, bread and 

 buns, on standings and benches, or even in some 

 cases on the bare sand. 



The fishermen often see from their canoes large 

 shells crawling on the bottom, and dive for them. 

 The great rosy-mouthed Conch {Stromhus gig as) is 

 obtained in this way, and so are the more valuable 

 Helmets {Cassis), and others. The noble C. Mada- 

 gascariensis and C. tuberosa, the former called here 

 the Heavy -back, the latter Turtle-back, with the large 

 and beautiful Tritonium variegatum, are brought me 

 by the fishermen for sale alive, and ofiered at about 



D 6 



