36 
ANIMAL LIFE ON THE 
of Ashton, stretching away in rows, or clustering on the 
rocky heights above, peering out here and there from a 
wealth of sylvan grandeur, like the inaccessible abodes of 
the sea fowls of the cliffs. 
The time of the year is early June ; the primrose, still 
in vigorous clusters, bestuds the sheltered nooks of the 
tufted rocks, and on the short-cropped lawns the variegated 
hues of the rhododendron throw pleasing tints of beauty 
over the prevailing green. The time of the day is early 
afternoon. A flood of golden sunshine burnisheth the face 
of the deep like the gospel sea of St. John. Here and 
there, coming and going, we have great and small specimens 
of our noble river triumphs of steam. Yonder is the well- 
known colour of an "Allan Liner " steaming majestically up. 
From the pine boarding of her bulwark we can see she is 
freighted with a cargo of cattle for our markets from the 
prairies of far-distant America. Her deep-toned, far-sounding 
horn is announcing her presence and speedy arrival at the 
port beyond. And here, steaming down with the tide, is 
an "Anchor Liner," bound for the "Land of the West," 
apparently with a goodly number of passengers, some of 
whom are returning the waving adieus of recognised friends 
on shore ; while flitting hither and thither are our smart tidy 
little river steamers, with their long trails of ascending smoke 
clouds scattering away in air, and leaving behind them on 
their churning way broad tracks of curdled foam. Pleasant 
sights, like an agreeable companion by the way, is half the 
journey; and as we have now stretched beyond the Uloch, 
we will descend to the shore and see what can be found for 
our information and study. 
Here on the verge of the beach we light upon a beautiful 
little stretch of gravel, into which our footfalls sink with a 
musical crunch, crunch. The stones and pebbles, one and 
