34 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 
that if living man had seen the transformation 
he would have said that the living creature 
was not changing at all. 
Whatever the history of seaweeds may have 
been, they are splendid and beautiful plants 
to-day—not half enough appreciated. But 
without saying more about this we may notice 
an important fact in regard to their colours. 
The green seaweeds are nearest high-tide 
mark; lower down the brownish ones are in 
the majority; most of the red ones are in still 
deeper water. All the three sets have got the 
precious green pigment or chlorophyll, which 
enables the plant to utilise the energy of the 
sunlight; but in the brown and red seaweeds 
the green is disguised by other pigments. 
Some say that these other pigments help the 
plant to make the most of the decreasing light, 
and that red is better than brown. So the red 
seaweeds are most abundant in the deepest 
waters where the light is least. 
FOOD-GETTING ON THE SHORE 
What food supplies are available for ani- 
mals on the seashore? 
(1) There are, first of all, the living sea- 
