MARKET-DAY AT SAVANNA -LE-MAR. 
59 
however, I had better opportunities of admiring 
these large Echini, a species of Cydaris, with very 
long purple spines ; and also of seeing what had 
escaped my notice at this time, the magnificent living 
Corals that form great bushes, if I may so say, on 
the bottom. They principally grow in large, irregu- 
larly-waved foliations, and in thick-set shrubs of 
cylindrical branches much ramified. After two hours’ 
rowing we landed at Savanna-le-Mar, and I found 
myself in the midst of the market, held on the very 
beach ; a scene somewhat similar in its character to 
the morning bustle on Bluefields beach, but much 
livelier and more like a rustic fair. The country 
people, as fast as they arrived, either by land or 
w’ater, displayed their produce, in heaps, on white 
cloths spread out on the ground, and squatted down 
by them, or stood to chat and laugh with their ac- 
quaintances ; while the townspeople were bringing 
their wares from their respective stores, and laying- 
out cloths and linens, butter and pork, bread and 
buns, on standings and benches, or even in some 
cases on the bare sand. 
The fishermen often see from their canoes large 
shells crawling on the bottom, and dive for them. 
The great rosy-mouthed Conch {Strombus gig as) is 
obtained in this way, and so are the more valuable 
Helmets (^Cassis), and others. The noble C. Mada- 
gascariensis and C. tuherosa, the former called here 
the Heavy-back, the latter Turtle-back, with the large 
and beautiful Tritonium variegatum, are brought me 
by the fishermen for sale alive, and olfered at about 
