TORBAY 
159 
— lie at the foot of a meadow-and-tree-crowned hill. In front 
of the town stretches the golden line of its sandy bay. 
Beyond, the red indented line of the sandstone cliffs, blotched 
upon their sides with green patches of vegetation. Over 
these cliffs we sight the short range of hills which running 
from west to east, and rising and falling alternately, appear 
in the far east to melt into the sea. Midway on this range 
lie the clustered villas of Torquay, the town and pier nestling- 
down to the water’s edge, and fronted by its harbour and 
little fleet of sailing craft. 
Pursuing our path we cross by a small bridge the Torbay 
Railway, and skirting this for a little way we descend again 
to the sea, and find ourselves in a wild and lonely cove, on 
whose beach are scattered great masses of split rock. At low 
tide the coast may here be followed for some distance under 
the cliffs. But the path is rough and rocky, and at times one’s 
feet can have but an uncertain hold on the green and slippery 
rocks. At high tide this route cannot be followed. But on 
our way we came upon numerous specimens of Asplenium 
marinum nestling in moist crevices of the sandstone cliffs. 
It is instructive to note the particular habitats of these beauti- 
ful plants. They invariably seek the most moist and shady 
crevices of the rock. 
I11 one spot on the route we are describing, we found a large 
number of baby plants. The cliff at this place had receded, 
probably worn away by the friction of the tide, for some two 
or three feet, so that the superincumbent mass of rock hung 
over the beach. The shady surface of the cliff in this natural 
recess was moist from the percolation through the rock of the 
unseen trickle of some tiny stream on the ground above ; and 
thus a congenial habitat was formed for the spores of 
Marinum, which loves the neighbourhood of the soft sea 
spray, and the breath of the moisture-laden breeze, whilst its 
rootlets feed on the rich substance of the sandstone cliff. 
