ASPLENIUM MARINUM. 9 
it would bury itself in the sand, from which, at an 
unwary jerk, it flew madly in the air, dancing the 
knife about in dangerous fashion. 
Yet, how beautiful was that coast ! Cliff after 
cliff broken into every fantastic form, with masses 
of trailing plants adorning them, and here and 
there, high and dry, a bit of sand from which poor 
dried-up grass issued, sent, as it seemed, to bear 
the tender weight of pink and white Convolvulus. 
The white ripples of the retreating tide returned 
for a moment to gaze upon the intruders, while far 
overhead a solitary bird went sailing into the blue 
distance, sending forth a plaintive cry to its lost 
fellows. And in some little cave amidst this 
unbroken solitude I was to see for the first time 
my friend Asplenium marinum, and at last I found 
it ! A damp dripping cave it was, with no bit of 
dry rock to promise a safe perch if the waves 
caught you ; steep cliffs around with no escape ; 
but hanging here and there above my reach, even 
with the bamboo, I saw the long shining sprays of 
the beautiful Marinum. 
