CHAPTER XIV. 
BY THE SEA-SHORE. 
Epwarp had for some time been extending his investi- 
gations to the tenants of the deep. His wanderings had 
for the most part been along-shore in search of sea-birds. 
But as early as 1856 we find him corresponding with Mr. 
Macdonald, of Elgin, as to zoophytes; with Mr. Blackwood, 
of Aberdeen, as to algae; and with Mr. C. Spence Bate, of 
Plymouth, as to crustacea. Now that he had to abandon 
his night wanderings, and to give up his gun, he resolved 
to devote himself more particularly to the natural history 
of the sea-shore. 
Here was a great field open for him. The Moray Firth 
had never been properly searched for marine productions. 
It was full of fish, and also of the various marine objects 
that fish feed upon. 
When Professor Macgillivray called upon Edward, at 
Banff, he expressed his surprise at the meagreness of the 
list of crustacea and testacea found along the Moray coast. 
In fact, the catalogue of fishes (excepting herring, cod, 
haddock, and the other edible fishes) was almost barren. 
There was no want of marine objects; the principal want 
was in careful observers. To this extensive field of ob- 
servation Edward now proposed to devote his special at- 
tention. 
He had considerable difficulty to encounter in proceed- 
ing with this branch of scientific work. He had no dredge 
of any sort. He had no boat, nor could he obtain the loan 
