112 Glimpses of Marine Life on the Forth. [Sess. 



\.— GLIMPSES OF MARINE LIFE ON THE FORTE. 



By the Eev. ALEX. S. WILSON, M.A., B.Sc, Corre&'ponding Member. 



{Read Jan. 27, 1909.) 



I. 



There is perhaps no pursuit that affords keener intellectual 

 pleasure than the exploration of the beach and its marvels. 

 Kich in marine life, the shores of the Forth well repay in- 

 vestigation. Although the upper parts of the beach are as 

 a rule comparatively barren, among the refuse thrown up by 

 the tide, such objects as a dried starfish, a sea-urchin, the cast 

 shell of a crab, the capsules of the whelk, the egg of a skate, 

 a wrecked sea-blubber, a stranded octopus, the jaw of an angler 

 fish, or a desiccated specimen of the sea-mat may frequently 

 be observed ; and when the dried sea-weeds are disturbed 

 myriads of the common sandhopper {Talitrus) are seen skip- 

 ping about in lively fashion. Waves have a remarkable power 

 of sifting and assorting the materials which come under their 

 influence : here and there ridges are thrown up, consisting 

 entirely of shells brought up from deep water. On examin- 

 ing these, one is agreeably surprised to discover how many 

 different species may be gathered even from a small area. 

 Of univalves one is sure to find the silver-tops, the slender 

 spires of Turritella, the pelican's foot with its curious broad 

 flange, the pellucid keyhole, tortoiseshell and common limpets, 

 the whelk (Buccinum), the periwinkle {Littorina), the buckle 

 (Fusus), the dog- whelks (Nassa and Purpura), the little Cowrie 

 (Oi/prcea), and the tooth-like Dentalmm. Many bivalves are 

 also sure to be included in the collection : pectens, cockles, 

 mussels, the saddle and common oysters, the borer (Pholas), 

 the solen or razor shell, the delicate Tellina, the Venus and 

 other carpet shells, are among those for which we may look. 

 Shell-collecting is, however, the concern of the conchologist ; 

 to the average naturalist it is somewhat like ploughing the 

 sand. To the naturalist it is much more interesting to sit 

 by some pool in the rocks and observe the activities of its 



