SANDPIPERS AND THE SANDERLING 45 



connected in some parts, broken up in others, of all 

 shapes and sizes, with high rocks again behind them ; 

 in some places great solid sloping shelves would run 

 fifty yards or more in length without a break, covered 

 with shiny slippery sea- ware, that I have failed to 

 travel over bare-footed. So I have crawled over on 

 all fours, a very undignified position certainly, but 

 under the peculiar circumstances it was the safest. 

 Then the rock fringe would break up, and in the 

 hollows, full of clear water, you would see all sorts 

 of beautiful weeds and tangle, dull crimson, orange 

 brown, and rich green. " Sea-ware " was the name 

 for it. There are but very few places a healthy lad 

 will not explore if he has the chance, and I certainly 

 did exploit that ugly rock fringe. Ugly for a fishing- 

 boat a little off her course, it was ; and I paid for 

 my own venturing there ; my shins were terribly 

 scarred, and my arms scratched all over through 

 hunting for crabs in rock-holes, and for other things. 

 I have found myself on my back in the most sudden 

 and unexpected manner gazing at the sky above. 

 Those weeds were treacherous to travel on, and I 

 have managed also to slip into a hole between two 

 rocks, up to my neck in water, when the tide was 

 out. Here we could see our birds, for they fed on 

 both tides, the ebb and the flow. Sometimes in one 

 of the larger pools a conger of considerable size 

 would be discovered : this was left in peace until we 

 could meet with a fisherman or some stout fisher- 

 lad ; for a fair-sized conger, from four to five feet in 

 length, does not allow itself to be easily captured. 



