The Zoologist— April, 1869. 1631 



brittle acorn barnacles clustered from floor to roof of the cavern, 

 many of them growing to a great size. Specimens which I took away 

 with me and kept alive in sea water were most beautiful creatures 

 when closely examined, as they threw out their little bag-like, net- 

 like feelers, in search of their microscopic food. Another part of this 

 cave was perfectly covered with sea-anemones of every shade of red, 

 brown, green, orange and purple. There were also corallines and 

 sponges, some of the latter yellow, some orange, some red. How I 

 longed to enter the inner cave, to see the tubularias and hairy urchins 

 • and seaweeds and fishes of the pools, but it was not to be. The tides 

 would not permit until the 29th of February, and until then we could 

 not stay ; and it was with no inconsiderable amount of regret that I 

 turned my face homewards without having seen these wonders of the 

 deep. Perhaps another time I may, who knows. 



The Boutiques Caverns were well worth visiting, though, curiously 

 enough, scarce any sign of marine life is to be found in them, though 

 apparently quite as well suited for it as the Guliot caves. These 

 caverns have never been thoroughly explored, and there is one branch 

 cavern that no one has ever been to the end of. At high-tide all these 

 caves are full of water, so that it would be dangerous to venture too 

 far in. Another fine set of caverns are those of Greve de Ville. One 

 of these caves is of great altitude inside, and communicates with the 

 open air above by means of a small round opening through which the 

 sun-light streams in, and illuminates the whole roof and sides of the 

 cave. In course of time, perhaps, the thin crust of earth and rock 

 which covers this great cave will fall in, the debris be washed away 

 by the ever restless sea, and finally another creux be formed upon a 

 grander scale than the Creux de Derrible. I ought not to quit the 

 subject without mentioning the Creux Harbour of Sark. This is a 

 little semicircular bay on the east coast of Sark, hemmed in by high 

 perpendicular cliffs. Across the opening of this bay a pier 'is now 

 being built which will render it a safe though rather confined harbour. 

 The only communication with the interior of the island from this bay 

 is by means of a long tunnel cut in the cliff, and by a steeply sloping 

 road leading to the centre of the island. The view of this harbour, as 

 seen from the end of the breakwater and pier, is very peculiar, espe- 

 cially as the tunnel being quite straight, affords a view of the quarrying 

 and other work which is going on at the other end. Of the natural 

 history of Sark I had but few opportunities of judging, as I missed 

 seeing the Guliot caves to advantage. 



