INTRODUCTION 



By Prof. J. ARTHUR THOMSON, M.A., LL.D. 



It is little wonder that much has been written about the 

 animals of the sea-shore. For it is perhaps the most 

 interesting of all the great haunts of life. As the authors 

 of this book make clear, the sea-shore is astonishingly 

 varied in different places and very diverse even at one place, 

 if its ** zones " are well marked. It is likewise very change- 

 ful throughout the day and throughout the year. One 

 might almost say that vicissitudes are the rule on the shore. 

 It is not a place for easy-going animals unless they have 

 special adaptations. For there are dangers in the force of 

 the waves, in exposure at low tides, in floods of fresh water, 

 in clouds of driven sand, and in vast accumulations of 

 jetsam seaweed which tend to smother everything. To 

 discover how the shore animals meet these difficulties is 

 a fascinating study, and this book by Messrs. Flattely and 

 Walton is the best guide we know. It is written out of 

 a rich experience, extended by a scholarly acquaintance 

 with the literature of the subject. There are many good 

 books dealing with the shore, but what is distinctive about 

 this one is the biological note. It seeks to illustrate the 

 deeper problems and to test the principles of biology by 

 concrete reference to the fauna and flora of the sea-shore. 



Given a diversified, changeful, difficult haunt, densely 

 peopled by a representative fauna, there must be a keen 

 struggle for existence and a ceaseless sifting. Given a very 

 stimulating environment, as the shore is par excellence. 



