THE ZooLtocist—Marcu, 1872. 2989 
and, on looking back through the dark rock, beheld a fine effect of 
the sun playing on the blue waters, through the opposite aperture. 
On the right hand, too, going in, there is a dark passage branching 
off and communicating with the sea. The tide flows a good way 
into the interior, and here also the look of the sunbeams on the 
waves at the further end of this gloomy corridor of Nature is 
exceedingly picturesque. 
The walls of the great cavern are completely covered with a large 
species of barnacle, red and green sea anemones (such as are 
ordinarily known as “ strawberries”), bright orange sponges, &c. 
What constitutes its peculiarly curious and interesting character is 
that the tide rising to the height of forty-one feet within, an idea 
may be formed of the appearance of the rocks at a considerable 
depth below the sea, as well as of the natural objects that stud their 
sides, by inspection of the rugged walls of this vaulted chamber. 
It is a splendid place, but this was only the first I saw. 
Above our knees in water, and the tide running strong, we waded 
toa second. The spot I now beheld was beautiful to look at; the 
sides of the cave were completely covered in parts with clusters of 
the Tubularia, expanding their delicate arms and feathery mouths ; 
in others with bright yellow and orange Actinias, of large size and 
in great numbers, true flowers of the deep, resembling in their 
shape large Alamanda blossoms, some expanded, others closed. 
Having visited other passages and collected some uncommon sorts 
of sponges, we retraced our steps, as Elias Gill, the guide, well 
acquainted with the sudden approaches the tide makes to these 
caverns, warned us of its rise. 
On our second expedition to the Gouliot, we took a boat at the 
foot of the cliffs to visit some rocky passages that can only be 
approached by water. It was here that 1 found some scarce 
sponges and Grantia compressa and G. ciliata in plenty: these last 
are small and delicate species, like ivory tassels, adhering to the 
ends of the sea-weed, and conspicuous far below the surface of the 
pellucid waters in which our boat was heaving with the strong 
current. We had to make a sudden snatch at the sponges and 
then withdraw our hand as rapidly, to prevent its being crushed 
between the cliff and the side of our small bark. Live oysters were 
adhering to the rock; the Aphrodite, or sea-mouse, with its green and 
purplish iridescent hairs, was to be met with, as also the sea-slug, 
from which the dye is obtained: brought home and placed ina 
SECOND SERIES—YVOL, VII. Q 
