﻿84 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  but 
  as 
  we 
  go 
  west 
  we 
  leave 
  behind 
  the 
  large 
  stretches 
  of 
  mud, 
  

   and 
  find 
  the 
  coast 
  bounded 
  with 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  cliffs 
  — 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  

   steep 
  and 
  firm, 
  in 
  others 
  sloping 
  and 
  crumbling. 
  We 
  get 
  breaks 
  

   in 
  this 
  line 
  of 
  cliff 
  at 
  Minehead 
  Warren 
  and 
  Porlock 
  Bay, 
  but 
  on 
  

   the 
  whole 
  the 
  coast 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Quantoxhead 
  to 
  

   Glenthorne 
  is 
  the 
  steepest 
  and 
  rockiest 
  in 
  the 
  county. 
  At 
  the 
  

   foot 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  is 
  a 
  beach 
  of 
  large 
  rounded 
  boulders, 
  and 
  at 
  low 
  

   water 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  mud 
  and 
  weed-covered 
  rocks, 
  

   but 
  the 
  sea 
  does 
  not 
  here 
  retire 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  distance. 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  proceed 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  the 
  scenery 
  

   becomes, 
  from 
  a 
  picturesque 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  more 
  interesting. 
  The 
  

   strata 
  of 
  the 
  crumbling 
  and 
  water-worn 
  cliffs 
  attract 
  the 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  geologist. 
  Little 
  sheltered 
  nooks, 
  gay 
  in 
  spring 
  with 
  

   primroses 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  flowers, 
  meet 
  the 
  wanderer 
  on 
  the 
  

   shore 
  as 
  he 
  turns 
  the 
  various 
  low 
  headlands 
  jutting 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  

   and 
  in 
  places, 
  such 
  as 
  at 
  St. 
  Audrie's 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  Porlock 
  

   Bay, 
  the 
  slopes 
  are 
  well-wooded 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  water's 
  edge. 
  The 
  

   bold 
  outline 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Hill 
  at 
  Minehead, 
  backed 
  by 
  Dunkery 
  

   Beacon, 
  and 
  thrusting 
  out 
  its 
  rocky 
  promontory 
  of 
  Hurlstone 
  

   Point 
  into 
  the 
  sea, 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  striking 
  feature 
  on 
  this 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  coast. 
  The 
  sea 
  here 
  has 
  lost 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  muddy 
  

   appearance, 
  and 
  further 
  west, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  clearer, 
  many 
  

   little 
  streams 
  rising 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  face 
  of 
  Exmoor 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  ages 
  cut 
  deep 
  combes 
  through 
  the 
  crumbling 
  cliff, 
  and 
  

   these, 
  now 
  well-wooded 
  and 
  clad 
  in 
  a 
  wealth 
  of 
  low 
  vegetation 
  

   and 
  undergrowth, 
  offering 
  a 
  sanctuary 
  to 
  the 
  forest 
  deer, 
  can 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  surpassed 
  for 
  picturesqueness 
  in 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   board 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  England. 
  Behind 
  this 
  West 
  Somerset 
  

   coast 
  lie 
  the 
  hilly 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  .Quantocks, 
  the 
  Brendon 
  Hills, 
  

   the 
  high 
  ground 
  around 
  Dunkery 
  Beacon, 
  and 
  the 
  rolling 
  moors 
  

   of 
  Exmoor 
  Forest. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  above 
  description 
  the 
  naturalist 
  will 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Somerset 
  presents 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  attractive 
  features 
  to 
  the 
  

   species 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  haunt 
  the 
  sea-shores. 
  The 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  

   bays 
  around 
  W 
  T 
  eston 
  are 
  warm 
  and 
  shallow, 
  and 
  are 
  visited 
  in 
  

   winter 
  by 
  shoals 
  of 
  Sprats. 
  The 
  clearer 
  waters 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  

   offer 
  a 
  pleasanter 
  feeding 
  ground 
  for 
  those 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  

   find 
  the 
  opaque 
  water 
  higher 
  up 
  the 
  Channel 
  distasteful 
  to 
  them. 
  

   The 
  cliffs, 
  with 
  their 
  nooks 
  and 
  crannies, 
  the 
  ridges 
  of 
  shingle 
  

  

  