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THE OCEAN ESSENTIAL TO LIFE.

tribute of good fruits in return. That such is not the fate of our planet is due to the ocean. This is the fountain of organic life, as it is also of every rill that waters the soil, and every cloud that cools the air. Without it, no green herb would clothe the pastures, nor would "the valleys be covered over with corn :"-neither could "anything wherein is the breath of life," exist on the face of the whole earth. And if these things constitute that which is indeed "the world," apart from its framework, most truly and forcibly is it said, "He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods."

THE SANDS AND THEIR PRODUCTIONS.

LARGE tracts of sand, exposed to the atmosphere, are proverbially monotonous and desert. Their surface is too loose and uncertain, and water finds its way through them with too great facility, to admit of the growth of a varied vegetation or to afford food and shelter to many animal inhabitants. In a great measure, this barren character applies to extensive sand deposits under the sea; and yet the sandy sea-shore has many attractions which the sandy land-down cannot boast of. The constant flow of the ocean binds together the unsettled particles of sand, and the retreat of the tide from such a coast, if it afford the visitor no other enjoyment, gives him a delightfully smooth and firm

54

SANDY SEA-SHORE.

promenade, generally of considerable length and breadth; while it rarely happens that monotony is so absolute as to destroy the picturesque associations of the shore. The constant pulsation of the waves on the margin of the tide, far from affecting us with the sense of monotony, serves rather to soothe the mind; while the changes of light and shade on the surface of the sea supply sufficient variety to keep the senses awake. And these changes are quite sufficient, even on the tamest shores, to arrest the attention. Few have attempted to paint coast scenes like those which Crabbe so graphically brings before us :—

"Where all beside is pebbly length of shore,

And far as eye can reach, it can discern no more;"

and none with his power of description. The coast which awakened his genius is one of the least picturesque in England; but he saw it with the eyes of a poet and a naturalist. And all who learn the use of similar organs of vision will find that there is no place so dull as not to afford us abundant sources of pleasure.

If we do nothing but watch the flocks of sea-birds which, on the recess of the tide, are attracted to the shore in search of food, their habits will soon begin to interest us. Gulls, Terns, and Sandpipers, of various species, will then become familiar friends; and in watching their various ways, and tracing them when they leave us,-discovering whence they come, and to what country they annually migrate, we shall begin to feel a strong interest in all that concerns them. The Dunlin, the most common of the Sandpipers (Tringa

variabilis) is found all round our coasts, where it collects, on sandy shores, in vast flocks, which, on the recess of every tide, are busily occupied in searching along the margin of the sea for the minute marine animals, on which they feed. In summer, this active little bird

deserts its marine haunts, and retires to moors and unfrequented places, similar to those selected by the Plover, where it makes its simple nest and rears its brood. In August, both the young and the old birds return to the coast, and it is then especially that the most numerous and most active flocks are to be seen. Yarrell* well describes them as "incessantly upon the move, shifting their ground perpetually, running nimbly along, or taking short flights from place to place, frequently wading to follow the aquatic insects, worms, mollusca, Brit. Birds, iii. p. 82.

and the smaller thin-skinned crustacea, which are put in motion by every receding wave. If disturbed, the whole flock take wing together, and, wheeling along in half circles near the edge or the surface of the water, each bird exhibits alternately a dark or light appearance to the observer, as the upper or under side of its body happens to be turned towards him."

The Terns, or Sea Swallows, by their very graceful form and rapid flight, skimming along the surface of the sea, seldom fail to attract the notice of the most casual visitor. But it is not till we examine them minutely that we are aware of the numerous species which inhabit different parts of our coasts, each no doubt selecting that place where he finds ground best fitted to his wants. No less than eleven species of Tern either visit or breed on some part of the British shore. Many of them migrate to very distant places in their winter rambles, exploring the shores of tropical countries, and even extending their flights to high latitudes in the southern hemisphere. No birds are better fitted to remain long on the wing. The elegant, boat-shaped body, small in proportion to the great length of wing, is easily supported in the air during a very long-continued flight. To the same family of birds belong the Sea-gulls, which are mostly of larger size, and less slender form, but with very similar habits; and also the famous Albatross, whose lengthy flight, reported by voyagers as continued for weeks or months together, is so celebrated. But the time which the Albatross can remain on the wing has, I think, been much exaggerated. Like the Gull and the Tern, though not