74 
ANIMAL LIFE ON THE 
slopes of Tighnabmaich on the right, and the green hills 
and cultivated fields of Bute stretching away on the left. 
Through the deep blue waters of the Sound we forge our 
charming way, and skirting the rugged shore of Arran, are 
soon landed at our desired haven, the little pier of Brodick. 
The south shore of the bay has little protection, but the 
north is well guarded by the ample form of Goatfell, where 
that proud monarch lifts his stony crown far up into the 
snow-white clouds; and near the base of the mountain, on a 
beautiful green knoll, surrounded by a splendid forest of 
pines, rise the ivy-mantled turrets of the ancient castle. 
Descending to the sands of the bay, we quickly discover 
numerous signs of life. Yonder is the deserted abode of 
the purple lip ; with the rolling on the sands by the action 
of the waves, the shell is polished into a smooth milky 
whiteness. Here is the spiral top of the graceful wentletrap, 
and there in abundance lie the litorina obtusata, or common 
yellow whelk, always an attractive little shellfish upon our 
shores. 
For the discovery of active life, we strain our eyes a 
foot or so into the lip of the receding tide. There, sailing 
quietly past, is a frail specimen of one of the round fish 
families, and almost alongside is the lively little sand 
jumper leaning over in its forward career like a swift little 
cutter on the starboard tack. Higher game we would like, 
and by a stroke of rare fortune we discover it within our 
grasp, for almost at our toe, about to take its gyrating flight, 
lies a tiny specimen of one of the rarest bivalves now 
found upon our banks and shores. Taking the creature up, 
we find the valves a fan-like shape, corrugated in graceful 
ridges, running up and down the shells in sweet and regular 
curves. The under valve is nearly flat, but the upper is 
nicely rounded, or rather capped, and tinted all over the 
