botany　is；　you　search　in　vain　for　curious　forms　over　which　you　trod
  every　day　in　crossing　flats　which　seemed　to　you　utterly　ugly　and
  uninteresting；　but　which　the　good　God　was　watching　as　carefully　as
  He　did　the　pleasant　hills　inland：　　perhaps　even　more　carefully；　for
  the　uplands　He　has　completed；　and　handed　over　to　man；　that　he　may
  dress　and　keep　them：　　but　the　tide…flats　below　are　still
  unfinished；　dry　land　in　the　process　of　creation；　to　which　every
  tide　is　adding　the　elements　of　fertility；　which　shall　grow　food；
  perhaps　in　some　future　state　of　our　planet；　for　generations　yet
  unborn。
  But　to　return　to　the　water…world；　and　to　dredging；　which　of　all
  sea…side　pursuits　is　perhaps　the　most　pleasant；　combining　as　it
  does　fine　weather　sailing　with　the　discovery　of　new　objects；　to
  which；　after　all；　the　waifs　and　strays　of　the　beach；　whether
  〃flotsom　jetsom；　or　lagand；〃　as　the　old　Admiralty　laws　define　them；
  are　few　and　poor。　　I　say　particularly　fine　weather　sailing；　for　a
  swell；　which　makes　the　dredge　leap　along　the　bottom；　instead　of
  scraping　steadily；　is　as　fatal　to　sport　as　it　is　to　some　people's
  comfort。　　But　dredging；　if　you　use　a　pleasure　boat　and　the　small
  naturalist's　dredge；　is　an　amusement　in　which　ladies；　if　they　will；
  may　share；　and　which　will　increase；　and　not　interfere　with；　the
  amusements　of　a　water…party。
  The　naturalist's　dredge；　of　which　Mr。　Gosse's　〃Aquarium〃　gives　a
  detailed　account；　should　differ　from　the　common　oyster　dredge　in
  being　smaller；　certainly　not　more　than　four　feet　across　the　mouth；
  and　instead　of　having　but　one　iron　scraping…lip　like　the　oyster
  dredge；　it　should　have　two；　one　above　and　one　below；　so　that　it
  will　work　equally　well　on　whichsoever　side　it　falls；　or　how　often
  soever　it　may　be　turned　over　by　rough　ground。　　The　bag…net　should
  be　of　strong　spunyarn；　or　（still　better）　of　hide　〃such　as　those
  hides　of　the　wild　cattle　of　the　Pampas；　which　the　tobacconists
  receive　from　South　America；〃　cut　into　thongs；　and　netted　close。　　It
  should　be　loosely　laced　together　with　a　thong　at　the　tail　edge　in
  order　to　be　opened　easily；　when　brought　on　board；　without　canting
  the　net　over；　and　pouring　the　contents　roughly　out　through　the
  mouth。　　The　dragging…rope　should　be　strong；　and　at　least　three
  times　as　long　as　the　perpendicular　depth　of　the　water　in　which　you
  are　working；　if；　indeed；　there　is　much　breeze；　or　any　swell　at　all；
  still　more　line　should　be　veered　out。　　The　inboard　end　should　be
  made　fast　somewhere　in　the　stern　sheets；　the　dredge　hove　to
  windward；　the　boat　put　before　the　wind；　and　you　may　then　amuse
  yourself　as　you　will　for　the　next　quarter　of　an　hour；　provided　that
  you　have　got　ready　various　wide…mouthed　bottles　for　the　more
  delicate　monsters；　and　a　couple　of　buckets；　to　receive　the　large
  lumps　of　oysters　and　serpulae　which　you　will　probably　bring　to　the
  surface。
  As　for　a　dredging　ground；　one　may　be　found；　I　suppose；　off　every
  watering…place。　　The　most　fertile　spots　are　in　rough　ground；　in　not
  less　than　five　fathoms　water。　　The　deeper　the　water；　the　rarer　and
  more　interesting　will　the　animals　generally　be：　　but　a　greater
  depth　than　fifteen　fathoms　is　not　easily　reached　on　this　side　of
  Plymouth；　and；　on　the　whole；　the　beginner　will　find　enough　in　seven
  or　eight　fathoms　to　stock　an　aquarium　rivalling　any　of　those　in　the
  〃Tank…house〃　at　the　Zoological　Gardens。
  In　general；　the　south　coast　of　England；　to　the　eastward　of
  Portland；　affords　bad　dredging　ground。　　The　friable　cliffs；　of
  comparatively　recent　formations；　keep　the　sea　shallow；　and　the
  bottom　smooth　and　bare；　by　the　vast　deposits　of　sand　and　gravel。
  Yet　round　the　Isle　of　Wight；　especially　at　the　back　of　the　Needles；
  there　ought　to　be　fertile　spots；　and　Weymouth；　according　to　Mr。
  Gosse　and　other　well…known　naturalists；　is　a　very　garden　of　Nereus。
  Torbay；　as　may　well　be　supposed；　is　an　admirable　dredging　spot；
  perhaps　its　two　best　points　are　round　the　isolated　Thatcher　and
  Oare…rock；　and　from　the　mouth　of　Brixham　harbour　to　Berry　Head；
  along　which　last　line；　for　perhaps　three　hundred　years；　the　decks
  of　all　Brixham　trawlers　have　been　washed　down　ere　running　into
  harbour；　and　the　sea…bottom　thus　stored　with　treasures　scraped　up
  from　deeper　water　in　every　direction　for　miles　and　miles。
  Hastings　is；　I　fear；　but　a　poor　spot　for　dredging。　　Its　friable
  cliffs　and　strong　tides　produce　a　changeable　and　barren　sea…floor。
  Yet　the　immense　quantities　of　Flustra　thrown　up　after　a　storm
  indicate　dredging　ground　at　no　great　distance　outside；　its　rocks；
  uninteresting　as　they　are　compared　with　our　Devonians；　have　yielded
  to　the　industry　and　science　of　M。　Tumanowicz　a　vast　number　of　sea…
  weeds　and　sponges。　　Those　three　curious　polypes；　Valkeria　cuscuta
  （Plate　I。　fig。　3）；　Notamia　Bursaria；　and　Serialaria　Lendigera；
  abound　within　tide…marks；　and　as　the　place　is　so　much　visited　by
  Londoners；　it　may　be　worth　while　to　give　a　few　hints　as　to　what
  might　be　done；　by　anyone　whose　curiosity　has　been　excited　by　the
  salt…water　tanks　of　the　Zoological　Gardens　and　the　Crystal　Palace。
  An　hour　or　two's　dredging　round　the　rocks　to　the　eastward；　would
  probably　yield　many　delicate　and　brilliant　little　fishes；　Gobies；
  brilliant　Labri；　blue；　yellow；　and　orange；　with　tiny　rabbit　mouths；
  and　powerful　protruding　teeth；　pipe　fishes　（Syngnathi）　（25）　with
  strange　snipe…bills　（which　they　cannot　open）　and　snake…like　bodies；
  small　cuttlefish　（Sepiolae）　of　a　white　jelly　mottled　with　brilliant
  metallic　hues；　with　a　ring　of　suckered　arms　round　their　tiny
  parrots'　beaks；　who；　put　into　a　jar；　will　hover　and　dart　in　the
  water；　as　the　skylark　does　in　air；　by　rapid　winnowings　of　their
  glassy　side…fins；　while　they　watch　you　with　bright　lizard…eyes；　the
  whole　animal　being　a　combination　of　the　vertebrate　and　the　mollusc；
  so　utterly　fantastic　and　abnormal；　that　（had　not　the　family　been
  amongst　the　commonest；　from　the　earliest　geological　epochs）　it
  would　have　seemed；　to　man's　deductive　intellect；　a　form　almost　as
  impossible　as　the　mermaid；　far　more　impossible　than　the　sea…
  serpent。　　These；　and　perhaps　a　few　handsome　sea…slugs　and　bivalve
  shells；　you　will　be　pretty　sure　to　find：　　perhaps　a　great　deal
  more。
  Meanwhile；　without　dredging；　you　may　find　a　good　deal　on　the　shore。
  In　the　spring　Doris　bilineata　comes　to　the　rocks　in　thousands；　to
  lay　its　strange　white　furbelows　of　spawn　upon　their　overhanging
  edges。　　Eolides　of　extraordinary　beauty　haunt　the　same　spots。　　The
  great　Eolis　papillosa；　of　a　delicate　French　grey；　Eolis　pellucida
  （？）　（Plate　X。　fig。　4）；　in　which　each　papilla　on　the　back　is
  beautifully　coloured　with　a　streak　of　pink；　and　tipped　with　iron
  blue；　and　a　most　fantastical　yellow　little　creature；　so　covered
  with　plumes　and　tentacles　that　the　body　is　invisible；　which　I
  believe　to　be　the　Idalia　aspersa　of　Alder　and　Hancock。
  At　the　bottom　of　the　rock　pools；　behind　St。　Leonard's　baths；　may　be
  found　hundreds　of　the　snipe's　feather　Anemone　（Sagartia
  troglodytes）；　of　every　line；　from　the　common　brown　and　grey　snipe's
  feather　kind；　to　the　white…horned　Hesperus；　the　orange…horned
  Aurora；　and　a　rich　lilac　and　crimson　variety；　which　does　not　seem
  to　agree　with　either　the　Lilacinia　or　Rubicunda　of　Gosse。　　A　more
  beautiful　living　bouquet　could　hardly　be　seen；　than　might　be　made
  of　the　varieties　of　this　single　species；　from　this　one　place。
  On　the　outside　sands　between　the　end　of　the　Marina　and　the　Martello
  tower；　you　may　find；　at　very　low　tides；　great　numbers　of　a　sand…
  tube；　about　three　inches　long；　standing　up　out　of　the　sand。　　I　do
  not　mean　the　tubes　of　the　Terebella；　so　common　in　all　sands；　which
  are　somewhat　flexible；　and　have　their　upper　end　fringed　with　a
  ragged　ring　of　sandy　arms：　　those　I　speak　of　are　straight　and
  stiff；　and　ending　in　a　point　upward。　　Draw　them　out　of　the　sand　…
  they　will　offer　some　resistance　…　and　put　them　into　a　vase　of
  water；　you　will　see　the　worm　inside　expand　two　delicate　golden
  combs；　just　like　old…fashioned　back…hair　combs；　of　a　metallic
  lustre；　which　will　astonish　you。　　With　these　combs　the　worm　seems
  to　burrow　head　downward　into　the　sand；　but　whether　he　always
  remains　in　that　attitude　I　cannot　say。　　His　name　is　Pectinaria
  Belgica。　　He　is　an　Annelid；　or　true　worm；　connected　with　the
  Serpulea　and　Sabellae　of　which　I　have　spoken　already；　and　holds
  himself　in　his　case　like　them；　by　hooks　and　bristles　set　on　each
  ring　of　his　body。　　In　confinement　he　will　probably　come　out　of　his
  case　and　die；　when　you　may　dissect　him　at　your　leisure；　and　learn　a
  great　deal　more　about　him　thereby　than　（I　am　sorry　to　say）　I　know。
  But　if　you　have　courage　to　run　out　fifteen　or　twenty　miles　to　the
  Diamond；　you　may　find　really　rare　and　valuable　animals。　　There　is　a
  risk；　of　course；　of　being　blown　over　to　the　coast　of　France；　by　a
  change　of　wind；　th