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THE YOUNG NATURALIST. [No 



but utter desolation : the piston rusted into indivisible unity with the 

 cylinder, the heavy beams threatening speedy disassociation, and the 

 stairs yielding and cracking under our feet, scattering a floating 

 avalanche of dust and mortar, greviously disturbing the social 

 harmony of some gulls, sitting upon a rocky spur far, far beneath us. 



When at last, laden with glittering crystals, we regained our boat, 

 the tide had ebbed and it was slack water, enabling us to enter a large 

 cave the mouth whereof was covered at high tide. Here, to our great 

 delight and comfort we discovered great masses of Pachymatisma 

 johnstonii, in all shades of creamy white to sullen grey. This is one of 

 the most curious of the British Sponges, rendered doubly interesting 

 by the singular shape of its skeletal spicules. These were the only 

 specimens found during our stay, but we could have almost loaded 

 the boat with them, so abundant were they. The floor of the cave, 

 composed of jagged, uneven blocks, was covered by thousands of 

 simple Ascidians, it being impossible to place one foot before the other 

 without crushing numbers of these animals. We were obliged to beat 

 a speedy and somewhat undignified retreat by the incoming tide, 

 which swept into the cave in great undulating waves, and it was only 

 with the greatest difficulty we could get beyond the reach of the 

 powerful suction, which handled our little craft in a most unpleasant 

 manner. 



Another trip, that proved not only interesting but extremely 

 pleasurable, was made in one of the fishing smacks, the object of the 

 excursion being to examine the " buccie " pots, which said "pots" 

 are hemispherical baskets much resembling those used for ensnaring 

 lobsters. The "buccie," as it is called by Manx fishermen, (save the 

 spelling !) is better known to the Liverpudlian as the succulent whelk, 

 to scientists as Buccinum undatum. Is the euphonius resemblance 

 between the Latin and Manx names accidental ? 



Now the whelk is a lover of the flesh pots of Mona, which are 

 therefore baited with those specimens of Cancer pagurus (edible crab) 

 that are not saleable. The unfortunate Crustacea are strung in series 

 of from six to ten upon split canes, having previously had a hole 

 drilled through the carapace with an iron skewer thoughtfully pro- 

 vided for that purpose. These strings of half dead crabs are fastened 

 within the " pots," which are thereupon consigned to the deep, the 

 free end of the mooring rope being furnished with a cork float. So 



