‘THE SCHOOL OF THE SHORE 31 
empty bunches are often torn off by the waves 
and thrown up on the beach. If a capsule is 
carefully examined, an opening will be seen 
on the inturned flatter side—the opening by 
which the surviving larve emerged. The 
same grim story is true of the neat vase- 
shaped capsules, first pinkish and then straw- 
coloured, which the small Dog Whelk (Pur- 
pura lapillus) fastens to the rocks, very often 
to the under side of a shelf. Many are called 
into life, but few are chosen to survive. 
SHORE SEAWEEDS 
It is a great sight when the seaweeds are 
uncovered on a rich foreshore at the lowest 
tide of the year. If we put on old clothes 
and boots and wade out among them, very, 
very cautiously, because of the slipperiness 
and the danger of concealed deep holes, we 
get our reward, especially if we take scientific 
imagination as our staff. We find ourselves 
in the midst of a rich and varied vegetation, 
part of which is older than the hills. We are 
in the midst of the plants of the early ages of 
the earth’s history. 
A distinguished Oxford botanist, Dr. A. H. 
