THE SCHOOL OF THE SHORE 61 
A GREAT SCHOOL 
For a long time after the earth became a 
home of life there were no animals on land at 
all. As far as we can judge it was in the sea 
that the first living creatures lived—either in 
the open sea or on the shore. Whether the 
shore was the first haunt of life or the second 
it is difficult to say, but it is likely that most 
of the great races of animals sojourned for a 
long time on the shore and, as it were, served 
their apprenticeship there. Now on the shore 
there are, as we have seen, many spurs to ad- 
venture and many outside changes that pro- 
voke changes in the structure and constitution 
of the animals. The shore is a haunt where 
animals are prompted to play all their cards, 
to make experiments with all their possibili- 
ties, just as we ourselves do when we are in a 
tight place. The shore animals test all things 
and hold fast that which is good. Or, to look 
at it from another side, the shore has always 
been a place of sifting, where those creatures 
that were not fit to cope with the changeful, 
difficult, crowded conditions have been re- 
jected. It is in this sense that we may speak of 
animals learning lessons on the seashore: not 
