6 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 
or wade among the surf on a pebbly shore, 
for on a rough day we may come out of the 
water tingling and bruised all over with the 
continually moving stones. 
The mud flats formed at river-mouths by 
the soil carried down by the streams have 
their inhabitants too, as we can easily guess 
from the large numbers of birds that are busy 
feeding there at low tide. 
Finally, there is the most populous part of 
the whole region, the stretch of flat rocks cov- 
ered with the great seaweeds—from which the 
belt takes its name— the laminarian zone.” 
A part of this region is not uncovered except 
at very low tides. 
IN DEEPER WATERS NEAR SHORE 
In warm seas, beside a coral-reef for in- 
stance, naturalists have been able to work for 
hours at a depth of 10 to 15 feet. They simply 
put on a metal hood fitting the shoulders and 
connected with a compression-pump on the 
launch above by means of a long hose-pipe 
which allows complete freedom of movement. 
The diver breathes freely inside his hood, and 
the weight of it is greatly reduced in the 
