CHAPTER XVI

_THE FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE SEA-SIDE_

A considerable number of our flowering plants exhibit a decided partiality for the neighbourhood of the sea, and many are to be found only on the sea cliffs or in salt marshes not far from the shore. The principal of these will be now briefly described, dealing first with the monocotyledons, and then with the more highly organised dicotyledons.

The chief distinguishing features of these two groups have already been referred to, but it will be advisable here to give them in somewhat fuller detail.

The _monocotyledonous plants_, then, are those in which the stem is more or less woody and cylindrical, without either true bark or pith; and the woody tissue is not arranged in concentric rings, but in isolated bundles, which first bend inwards, as they rise, towards the centre of the stem, and then curve outwards towards the surface, which is hardened by the formation of a layer of hard woody matter. As a rule the stem is unbranched, and its growth takes place by a single bud at the summit. In nearly all of them the leaves are long and narrow, with veins running parallel throughout their length; and the parts of the flower are arranged in whorls of three or six. The outer whorl of the flower is often a conspicuous white or coloured _perianth_ (that portion of the flower which lies outside the anthers), but in some the perianth is absent, the flower being protected by scaly bracts. The seeds are produced in a case called the ovary, and are fertilised by pollen grains which are developed in the anthers. When the pollen grains are set free they alight on the adhesive stigma, and grow, sending their tubes down into the ovary. The term monocotyledon is applied to these plants because the embryo has only one cotyledon or seed-leaf.

The principal divisions of this group are the _Glumaceous Monocotyledons_, in which the flower has no perianth, but is enclosed in scaly bracts or husks called glumes; and the _Petaloid Monocotyledons_, distinguished generally by the presence of a more or less conspicuous white or coloured perianth. The first of these includes the rushes, sedges, and grasses; and the other contains the lilies and orchids, with their allies, together with certain aquatic and semi-aquatic plants.

Among the Grasses there are several species that show a preference for the immediate neighbourhood of the sea, some growing luxuriantly at the bases of the cliffs where the beach is sandy, and others thriving best in salt marshes; but before dealing with these individually we shall note the general characteristics of the order (_Gramineæ_) to which they belong.

Grasses are distinguished by their jointed stems, which are usually hollow, with a split sheath, and bearing alternately arranged narrow leaves. The flowers, which are disposed either in spikes (sessile flowers arranged along a common axis) or in panicles (flowers stalked and arranged as in fig. 281), consist of scale-like bracts enclosing the stamens and the pistil. The bracts are in two series, the outer usually consisting of two _glumes_, and the inner of two _pales_; the upper pale, however, has two ribs running through it, and is therefore usually looked upon as a combination of two. In some species both glumes and pales are absent; but the former, when present, enclose one or more flowers, among which may be some that are abortive. The stamens are generally three in number, attached to the base of the flower; and the ovary is superior or free, that is, it grows above the other parts of the flower, and contains but one seed.

It will be convenient at this stage to refer briefly to the two principal methods by which the pollen of flowers is transferred to the stigmas for the purposes of fertilisation, and to see how various species are structurally adapted to the means by which the transfer is brought about.

Speaking generally, we may classify flowers into those which are fertilised by the wind (anemophilous flowers) and those in which the pollen is transferred by insects (entomophilous flowers). The former offer no attractions to allure the various forms of insect life. They are, generally speaking, very inconspicuous, being of small size and having no bright corollas. None of them are scented, nor do they produce the sweet nectar that forms the principal food of so many insects. Their anthers are borne on long filaments, so that they are exposed freely to the wind; and they produce abundance of pollen to compensate for the very wasteful method of wind-dispersion. The pollen, too, is not very adherent, so that it may be readily carried away by the breeze; and the plants concerned often produce their flowers early in the spring, before the leaves have appeared, thus giving the wind very free play.

Insect-fertilised flowers, on the other hand, are usually of attractive appearance; and, though often small and inconspicuous individually, they are in such cases grouped together in more or less showy clusters. They are also usually scented, and supply nectar and pollen to the insects which they allure. Some are fertilised by insects that fly by day, and these often close their petals on the approach of night, thus protecting their pollen during the period in which their fertilisers sleep. Others, fertilised by nocturnal insects, always spread their petals during the night, and generally protect their pollen from waste by sleeping throughout the day. As a rule, too, these night-bloomers have large and pale-coloured petals that are more easily seen by night; they also evolve a powerful scent to aid the insects in searching them out.

It will be seen that the economic relationship existing between flowers and insects is a mutual one, the latter visiting the former in order to obtain food, while the former derive in return the advantage of a direct transfer of pollen from flower to flower.

It is a well-known fact that the self-fertilisation of a flower often results in the development of very weak seedlings as compared with those that are produced by crossing; and it often happens that the pollen of a flower is incapable of producing the least effect when deposited on the stigma of the same bloom. In some cases the contact of the pollen of a flower with its own stigma will even act as a poison, causing the whole to shrivel and die; and truly wonderful are the varied means by which flowers contrive to secure a cross-fertilisation. It is here that the work of the wind and insects proves so valuable to flowers; but, in addition to this, a very large number of flowers are absolutely incapable of self-fertilisation, for the anthers and the stigma are not mature at the same time, or they exist in separate flowers, either on the same plant or on distinct plants of the same species. It is most interesting and instructive to study the many contrivances by which flowers compel certain insects to convey the pollen exactly in the way that best serves their purpose, sometimes even entrapping them after they have been allured, and not allowing them to escape until they are thoroughly dusted with the pollen which they are required to convey; but it is hardly our province to enter more fully into this matter in these pages.

An examination of the grasses will show at once that they are adapted for fertilisation by the wind. The flowers produce no nectar; and, consistently, develop no bright petals and evolve no odours to attract insects. On the other hand, their anthers produce abundance of lightly-adhering pollen, and are mounted on long filaments which hold them well exposed to the wind; and the stigmas are well adapted for catching the scattered grains, being long and protruding, and often covered with sticky hairy or feathery appendages.

Although the flowers of grasses are generally wanting in attractive colours, the clusters of blossoms are often very graceful and pretty, especially when the large anthers, covered with bright-yellow pollen, dangle in the breeze.

We will now briefly describe the principal British grasses that grow chiefly or exclusively in the immediate neighbourhood of the sea.

The Sea Hard Grass (_Lepturus filiformis_) is a perennial species, usually about six inches in height, very common on some sandy coasts, and found in flower during the hottest months of the summer. The flowers are arranged in simple spikes, on slender erect stems; and the glumes, which are united at their bases, enclose a single bloom.

In similar situations we may find the Sea Lyme Grass (_Elymus arenarius_), a tall species, often reaching a height of four feet, with glaucous rigid leaves. The flowers are arranged in a simple spike, but the spikelets are clustered two or three together. This species flowers in August.

Of the well-known Barley Grasses there is one species (_Hordeum maritimum_) that has its habitat along the coast. Like the others of its genus, the spikelets are arranged in threes, each bearing a single flower, and the pales have long slender processes (_awns_) which constitute the so-called beard. It also resembles the common Meadow Barley Grass in having the middle flower of each three perfect, while the two laterals are abortive, but may be distinguished by its rough and bristly glumes, and the semi-oval form of the pales of the lateral flowers. It is a somewhat stunted species, sometimes only five or six inches in height, and may be found in flower about Midsummer.

The Brome Grasses have also a representative of a sea-loving nature, which is to be found in fields near the cliffs. It is the Field Brome Grass (_Bromus arvensis_), an annual grass that grows to a height of two or three feet. Brome grasses generally are known by their loose panicles of flowers, lanceolate and compressed spikelets, and awned florets enclosed in unequal glumes; and _B. arvensis_ may be distinguished by its hairy leaves and stem-sheath, and the drooping panicle with the lower peduncle branched.

Among the Meadow Grasses we have three or four coast species. In these the florets are in panicles and are not awned. The outer glumes are keeled and traversed by several veins; and the lower pales are also keeled, with five or more nerves. The Sea Meadow Grass (_Poa maritima_) grows in salt marshes near the sea, its erect rigid panicles reaching a height of about eight or ten inches. It has a creeping root, and its leaves are curved inward at the margins. The Procumbent Meadow Grass (_P. procumbens_) and a variety of the Reflexed Meadow Grass (_P. distans_) are also plentiful in salt marshes. The former may be known by the short rigid branches of its panicle and the five ribs of the lower pales; and the latter is much like _P. maritima_, but grows taller, and its spikelets are crowded. The Wheat Meadow Grass (_P. loliacea_) grows on sandy shores. Its spikelets are arranged singly and alternately along the central axis, and the upper glume reaches to the base of the fourth floret. This species flowers in June, but the other three of the same genus bloom from July to September.

The reader is probably acquainted with the Fescue Grass, with its awned flowers arranged in one-sided panicles. There are no less than seven species, one of which--the Single-husked Fescue (_Festuca uniglumis_)--grows on sandy shores, flowering in June and July, and reaching a height of from nine to twelve inches. The panicles are upright and unbranched, and the species may be readily known by the flowers, which are compressed, with long awns, and with the lower glumes wanting.

_Knappia agrostidea_ is a dwarf species, rarely exceeding four inches in height, that is found on certain sandy shores, but is very local. Its flowers are arranged in a simple spike, the spikelets being solitary and unilateral, with only a single flower, and the pales are shaggy. The plant has several stems which bear short, rough leaves.

The Mat Grass or Sea Reed (_Ammophila arundinacea_) is common on many sandy coasts, where it grows to a height of three or four feet, and flowers in July. The white flowers are clustered in dense cylindrical, pointed spikes; and the leaves are of a glaucous green colour, rigid, and curved inward at the edges.

Dog’s-tooth Grass (_Cynodon dactylon_). This species has a creeping root, and the leaves are downy on the under side. The flowers are arranged in a compound spreading spike, of three to five parts, and the spikelets are of a purplish colour, ovate in form, and arranged in pairs. The glumes are equal in size. It is found on sandy shores, grows to a height of about six inches, and flowers in July.

A species of Canary Grass (_Phalaris arundinacea_) is also to be seen on sandy coasts. Unlike the other species of the same genus, its flowers form an erect spreading panicle, and the glumes are not keeled. It is also taller than the common canary grass of waste places, often reaching a height of three feet, and is commonly known as the Reed Canary Grass.

The Sea Cat's-tail Grass (_Phleum arenarium_) is common on many coasts. It is much smaller than the common species of Cat's-tail, being generally less than a foot high. The spike is of an elongated oval form, blunt at the tip and narrow at the base; and the glumes are narrow, pointed at both ends, and fringed. Each spikelet has but one flower.

In salt marshes we occasionally meet with the Perennial Beard Grass (_Polypogon littoralis_), but it is somewhat rare. It has a creeping root, and the flowers form a somewhat dense spike-like panicle. The glumes have a slender awn. It grows to a height of one to two feet, and flowers in July.

The Tuberous Fox-tail Grass (_Alopecurus bulbosus_) is another rare grass of the salt marshes, where it grows to the height of twelve to sixteen inches, flowering in May and June. The genus to which it belongs is very closely allied to _Phleum_, but may be distinguished by having only one pale to each flower, and this species has a long awn attached to the back portion. The panicle, too, is cylindrical and slender, the glumes quite free and abruptly pointed, and the awns longer than the pales.

The last of the sea-side grasses are two rare species of Cord Grass (_Spartina_), both of which are found in salt marshes. In these the inflorescence is a compound spike, with one-sided spikelets inserted in a double row. The glumes are keeled and pointed; the pales cleft, pointed and without awns; and the styles two in number, very long. The only British species of the genus are the two (_S. stricta_ and _S. alternifolia_) referred to above. They both grow to a height of about eighteen inches, and flower in late summer. In the former the spikes number two or three, and are longer than the leaves; and the outer glume is hairy, with a single nerve. The latter, which is the rarer of the two, bears several spikes, shorter than the leaves; and the outer glume has five nerves.

Certain of the sedges (order _Cyperaceæ_) are also more or less familiar to the sea-side naturalist, and must therefore receive a small share of our attention. In general terms these are grasslike, monocotyledonous plants, the stems of which are solid, jointed, and frequently angular. The leaves are very similar to those of grasses, except that the sheaths, which surround the stem, are not split. The flowers are generally arranged in a spike, overlapping each other, and each one supported on a scale-like bract. In some sedges the flowers are perfect, each one possessing both stamens and pistil; but in some species the flowers are unisexual, some bearing stamens and no pistil, and others pistil only. The stamens are generally three in number, the ovary is superior, and the stigmas either two or three.

Sedges abound in moist places, some being peculiar to salt marshes, while others grows on sandy shores; and a few of the British species of the latter habitat are often so abundant that their creeping roots bind the sand together, effectually holding it in place while the surrounding portions of the beach are mercilessly driven by the wind.

A few of the sea-side sedges belong to the genus _Carex_, in which the flowers are imperfect, and the fruit is enclosed in the outer parts of the flower. _C. extensa_ thrives in salt marshes, growing to a height of a foot or more, and flowering about midsummer. Its fertile flowers form oblong erect spikelets, while the barren spikelets are solitary. The bracts are long and leafy, with short sheaths surrounding the stem. The leaves are curved in at the edges, and the fruit is oval and ribbed, with a short straight beak.

On sandy shores the Sea Sedge (_C. arenaria_) is often common, and its underground stems are used for sarsaparilla. It is a perennial species, growing to a height of about nine inches, and flowering in June and July. The flowers grow in an oblong interrupted spike, the upper spikelets being barren, and the intermediate ones barren at the tip. The fruit is oval, veined, and winged.

Another species of this genus--the Curved Sedge (_C. incurva_)--is sometimes to be seen on sandy shores, but it is rare, and is also a very small sedge, growing only to a height of about three inches. It derives its specific name from its curved stem, and may be further distinguished by its channelled leaves and the globular mass of spikelets which are barren on the top.

Some of the so-called rushes belong to the same order as the sedges, and a few of these are more or less restricted to the neighbourhood of the sea. The Salt-marsh Club Rush (_Scirpus maritimus_), as its name implies, is to be found in marshes near the sea. It is very variable in height, ranging from one to three feet, and displays its dense terminal cluster of spikelets in July and August. In this genus all the flowers are perfect, the glumes imbricated and bristled; and the present species may be distinguished by the glumes being divided into two sharply pointed lobes. A variety of _S. lacustris_ may also be found on the sea shore, but it is somewhat rare. It has a leafless glaucous stem, and flowers arranged in compound spikes. The glumes are rough, and contain a compressed fruit.

A very small species of the Spike Rush (_Eleocharis parvula_), growing only one or two inches high, is sometimes found on the muddy shores of Ireland. It has perfect flowers, in a single terminal spikelet. The leaves are very narrow, growing from the base of the plant; and the round stem is enclosed in a single leafless sheath.

The true rushes belong to the order _Juncaceæ_. These have fibrous roots and narrow leaves, and bear clusters of brown flowers. The perianth consists of six parts, and the stamens are usually six in number. The ovary is generally three-celled, developing into a three-valved capsule. The Lesser Sea Rush (_Juncus maritimus_) is common in salt marshes, growing to a height of two or three feet, and flowering in July. It has a rigid leafless stem, bearing lateral clusters of flowers. The segments of the perianth are very narrow and sharp, and the seeds are enclosed in a loose testa. Closely allied to this species is the Great Sea Rush (_J. acutus_), which grows three or four feet high on sandy shores. In general characteristics it resembles_ J. maritimus_, but the segments of the perianth are oval and have thin transparent margins; and it is a much rarer species.

We now pass to the peculiar Sea Grasses or Grass Wracks (_Zostera_) which grow in salt water. They belong to the order _Naiadaceæ_, and are characterised by cellular leaves with parallel veins, and inconspicuous unisexual or bisexual flowers. The perianth, when present at all, consists of two or four scale-like parts, and the stamens correspond in number with these. The ovary is free, and the carpels, one or more in number, contain each a single ovule. In _Zostera_ the flowers are imperfect, and seem to grow in the slit of the leaf. There are two species, both of which grow in shallow water close to the shore, often in such dense masses that they impede the progress of boats. They have long creeping stems that lie buried in the sand, giving off numerous root-fibres, and send up to the surface slender branches that bear grass-like leaves. The flowers are unisexual, and are arranged in two rows on the same side of a flattened stalk that is enclosed in a sheath formed by short leaves. They have no perianth, the male flowers being composed of a single anther, and the female of a one-celled ovary containing a single ovule, and surmounted by a style with two long stigmas.

There are two species--the Broad-leaved Grass Wrack (_Z. marina_) with leaves one to three feet long and traversed by three or more parallel veins, and the Dwarf Grass Wrack (_Z. nana_), the leaves of which are less than a foot long, with veins numbering one to three. There is a variety of the former, however, named _Angustifolia_, in which the leaves are much narrower than usual, and the veins fewer in number.

The order _Alismaceæ_, which contains the water plantains, arrow-heads, and other semi-aquatic plants, has a representative of marine tendencies in the Sea-side Arrow Grass (_Triglochin maritimum_). The flowers of this order are bisexual, with six stamens and a six-parted perianth. The fruit consists of many carpels; and, although the plants are monocotyledons, their leaves have netted veins; and altogether they somewhat resemble the ranunculaceous exogens. The Sea-side Arrow Grass is abundant in some salt marshes, growing to a height of about a foot, and produces loose simple spikes of green flowers all through the summer. The leaves are radical, narrow and fleshy; and the ovary consists of six carpels.

Of the interesting order _Liliaceæ_ we have only one plant of the coast, and even that--the _Asparagus_--is not by any means generally common. It is the same plant that is so largely cultivated as an article of diet, and which is so highly valued on account of its diuretic properties. It is moderately common on parts of the south coast, particularly in the Isle of Portland and in West Cornwall, and its general appearance is so graceful that it is largely employed as an ornamental garden plant. The stem is erect and freely branched, bearing feathery bunches of bristled leaves and pale-yellow axillary flowers. As is the case with the _Liliaceæ_ generally, the flowers are bisexual, with a six-parted perianth, six stamens, and a three-celled superior ovary; and the last named, in the Asparagus, forms a bright-red berry in the autumn.

We have now to leave the monocotyledonous plants and pass on to the _dicotyledons_, which form the most highly developed of the primary divisions of the vegetable kingdom. A few of the general characteristics of this group have already been given, but we must now look rather more closely into the nature of the plants included.

The class receives its name from the presence of two cotyledons or seed-leaves in the embryo plant, and is also known as the _Exogenæ_ because the stems increase in thickness by the addition of zones of woody tissue at the exterior. When the young dicotyledonous plant first appears above the ground, the two cotyledons, which formerly served to shelter the immature bud, usually appear as tiny fleshy leaves; but these soon wither away, while the bud produces the more permanent leaves that are of a very different structure. A section of the stem will reveal distinct pith, wood, and bark, the wood being more or less distinctly divided into wedge-shaped masses by rays from the pith; and, in the case of perennial stems, the wood is arranged in concentric rings, the number of which correspond approximately with the years of growth. The leaves of exogens have their veins in the form of a network, and the parts of the flower are generally arranged in whorls of two or five or of some multiple of these numbers.

The flowers always have stamens and pistil, but in some these organs exist in separate flowers, either on the same plant, or on different plants of the same species, and the ovules are nearly always contained in a case called the ovary.

Dicotyledons are divided into three main groups, the division being based on the structure of the flowers. They are the _Apetalæ_ in which the petals are absent, but the perianth is frequently petaloid, though it is occasionally also absent; the _Gamopetalæ_, in which the petals are united; and the _Polypetalæ_, in which the petals are always distinct.

Dealing with these divisions in the above order we come first to the Spurges, three species of which occur on sandy shores. They belong to the order _Euphorbiaceæ_, which includes, in addition to the spurges, a number of herbs, trees, and shrubs with entire leaves often a milky juice, and small flowers, sometimes enclosed in calyx-like bracts. The flowers may have one or several stamens, and the perianth, if present, consists of three or four parts; but perhaps the best distinguishing feature of the order is the nature of the fruit, which separates elastically into three carpels.

The Sea Spurge (_Euphorbia Paralias_) is commonly seen on sandy shores, where its yellow flowers bloom in late summer and in autumn. It may be distinguished among the numerous species of the genus by its narrow oblong imbricated leaves, of a tough leathery nature, the broad heart-shaped bracts, and the wrinkled capsules containing smooth seeds. The Portland Spurge (_E. portlandica_) is a similar plant, found in similar situations, and flowering from May to September. Its leaves are oval and narrow, obtuse, and of a glaucous colour, and the bracts are more triangular than those of the last species. The capsules are slightly rough, as are also the seeds. There is yet another sea-side spurge--the Purple Spurge (_E. peplis_)--a somewhat rare plant, found on some of the sandy shores of the south of England. It grows to about eight or nine inches in length, and blooms in late summer, the flowers, like those of most of the spurges, being yellow. The stem is of a glaucous colour, and trails along the ground; the leaves are opposite and somewhat heart-shaped, and the flowers solitary. This species may be distinguished from other spurges by its stipuled leaves.

On sandy cliffs we sometimes meet with the Sea Buckthorn (_Hippophaë rhamnoides_)--a spiny shrub, ranging from about two to seven feet in height, the bark of which is covered with a silvery scaly scurf that forms a beautiful object for the microscope. It is the British representative of the Oleasters (order _Eleagnaceæ_). The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, with a silvery surface; and the flowers are small, green and unisexual. The male flowers grow in catkins, each arising from a scaly bract, and have a green perianth. The female flowers have a tubular perianth, and a free one-celled ovary. The latter forms a hard nut-like fruit, which is surrounded by a succulent mass formed by the former. This shrub flowers in the spring, while the leaves are still very small.

Of the order _Polygonaceæ_, which includes the docks, knot grasses, buckwheats, and sorrels, we have two sea-side representatives, both belonging to the typical genus _Polygonum_. These are the sea-side Knot Grass (_P. maritimum_) and Ray’s Knot Grass (_P. Raii_). The plants of this order are herbs, characterised by their alternate leaves with sheathing stipules; and small flowers, usually bisexual, often with a coloured perianth. Most of the species are remarkable for their astringent and acid properties. In the genus _Polygonum_ the flowers are usually in spikes or racemes; the perianth funnel-shaped, regular, and five-cleft. The stamens vary from five to eight in number, and the styles number two or three. The fruit is a small angular nut, usually enclosed in the perianth.

The sea-side Knot Grass is very common on some parts of the shore, where it grows from one to three feet long, and flowers in August. The stem is recumbent, tough and woody, bearing fleshy glaucous leaves with curled edges. It may be further distinguished from the other knot grasses by its long stipules, with freely-branching veins, and by the length of the fruit exceeding that of the perianth. As in the other knot grasses, the flowers arise from the axils of the leaves.

Ray’s Knot Grass is very much like the common knot grass so abundant in all waste places, the leaves being flat; and the stipules, shorter than in the last species, having but few veins; but while in the latter the fruit is shorter than the calyx, in _P. Raii_ it is longer. This species is found on many sandy shores, and flowers in July and August.

The order _Chenopodiaceæ_ is particularly rich in sea-side plants, more than a dozen of the British species growing almost exclusively near the shore. They are mostly inconspicuous plants, with small flowers which are sometimes unisexual. The perianth is deeply divided, and the stamens are inserted in its base, opposite the divisions. The ovary is free, containing a single ovule.

The typical genus (_Chenopodium_) contains the weeds designated by the name of Goosefoot, all characterised by their straggling stems and small flat leaves. One species (_C. botryoides_) is common on some sandy shores. It is a small weed, its prostrate stem measuring only a few inches in length. The leaves are triangular and fleshy, and the flowers are arranged in dense leafy clusters. A variety of the Red Goosefoot (_C. rubrum_) is also found on the coast. It is of a reddish colour, with rhomboid leaves and short crowded spikes of flowers.

On muddy shores we meet with the Common Beet (_Beta maritima_), the leaves of which are often cooked and eaten where the plant is abundant; and it is this species from which the different varieties of garden beet and mangold wurzel have been produced by cultivation. There are two distinct varieties of the wild plant. In one the root and leaves are of a purple colour, while in the other they are of a yellowish green. The former has been cultivated for its root, while the latter is sometimes grown for the leaves. In the wild state it has many stems, the lower parts being more or less procumbent, and the leaves are fleshy, gradually narrowing down into the stalk. The flowers, which are arranged in long, simple, leafy spikes, are bisexual, with a five-parted perianth, five stamens inserted opposite each segment, in a fleshy ring and a flattened one-celled ovary which develops into a one-seeded utricle.

In similar situations we meet with two species of Sea Purslane (_Obione_), in which the flowers are unisexual, both male and female flowers being on the same plant. They are also distinguished from most other Chenopods by the perianth adhering to the wall of the ovary. The Shrubby Sea Purslane (_O. portulacoides_) is, as its name implies, a shrubby plant. It grows to a height of eighteen inches or two feet, bearing silvery oval lanceolate leaves and sessile fruit. The other species referred to--the Stalked Sea Purslane (_O. pedunculata_)--is herbaceous, with oval, mealy leaves, and stalked fruit.

The Oraches (genus _Atriplex_) resemble the Purslanes in the granular mealiness of the foliage, and the two are so closely allied that they are often placed in the same genus. Oraches are most readily distinguished among the Chenopods by the two bracts which enclose the fruit and enlarge after flowering; and, like the Purslanes, they have unisexual flowers, both male and female being on the same plant. Three of our five British species are sea-side plants. The Frosted Sea Orache (_A. arenaria_) grows on sandy shores, about six or eight inches in height, and flowers during late summer and autumn. It may be known by its buff-coloured stem, with triangular or rhomboidal, jagged, silvery leaves, and clusters of sessile flowers in the axils of the leaves. Another species (_A. Babingtonii_) may be seen on both rocky and sandy shores, usually from one to two feet in height, and flowering from July to September. Its stem is procumbent, green with reddish stripes; leaves oval-triangular, lanceolate towards the top, three-lobed at the base of the stem, light green, with a mealy surface; flowers in terminal clusters as well as in the axils of the leaves. A third species--the Grass-leaved Orache (_A. littoralis_) grows in salt marshes. All its leaves are grass-like and entire, and the stem is generally marked with reddish stripes as in _A. Babingtonii_. The flowers, too, are in sessile axillary clusters only. This plant reaches a height of from one to two feet, and flowers in the late summer.

The Prickly Salt Wort (_Salsola kali_) is a very common sea-side plant on some of our coasts, and may be recognised at a glance by its general form and habit. The stem is very much branched and prostrate, forming a very bushy plant about a foot in height. It is also very brittle and succulent, furrowed and bristly, and of a bluish-green colour. The leaves are fleshy, awl-shaped, nearly cylindrical, with a spiny point, and little prickles at the base. The flowers are axillary and solitary. This plant and its exotic allies are very rich in alkaline salts, particularly carbonate of soda, and were formerly the principal source from which this compound was obtained.

Our last example of the sea-side chenopods is the Glass Wort (_Salicornia_), which thrives in salt marshes. In this genus the stem is jointed and the flowers bisexual. The Jointed Glass Wort (_S. herbacea_) is common in most salt marshes, where its erect, herbaceous, leafless stem may be seen growing to a height of a foot or more. The joints are thickened upwards, and shrink to such an extent when dry that the upper part of each segment of the stem forms a membranous socket into which fits the base of the next segment above. The flowers are arranged in dense tapering spikes, also jointed, with a cluster of three flowers on the two opposite sides of the base of each segment. Each flower is composed of a perianth, closed with the exception of a small aperture through which the stigma and, later, the stamens protrude. The Creeping Glass Wort (_S. radicans_) has a woody procumbent stem, with the joints only slightly thickened, and the spikes do not taper so much as in _S. herbacea_. Both these plants yield considerable quantities of soda, and they are named ‘Glass Wort’ because they formerly constituted one of the sources from which soda was obtained for the manufacture of glass.

We now come to those flowers in which both calyx and corolla exist, and shall deal first with the division _Gamopetalæ_ or _Monopetalæ_, in which the petals are united.

Our first example of this division is the Seaside Plantain (_Plantago maritima_), of the order _Plantaginaceæ_. This is a stem-less herbaceous plant, with ribbed leaves and small green flowers, common on many parts of the coast, and also found on the mountains of Scotland, flowering throughout the summer. It may be distinguished from the other plantains by its narrow fleshy leaves. As in the other species, the flowers form a cylindrical spike.

The order _Plumbaginaceæ_ contains several sea-side plants, including the Sea Pink or Thrift (_Armeria maritima_) and the various species of Sea Lavender (genus _Statice_). They are characterised by a tubular membranous calyx, persistent and often coloured, a regular corolla of five petals united at their bases, five stamens opposite the petals and attached at the base of the ovary, and a free one-celled and one-seeded ovary. The well-known Sea Pink, with its compact head of rose-coloured flowers, in bloom throughout the spring and summer, and linear one-veined leaves, may be seen on most of our coasts, as well as on high ground in inland districts. The Sea Lavender, of which there are four British species, have their flowers arranged in spikes. The commonest species (_Statice limonium_) may be found principally on muddy shores. Its leaves are narrow and one-ribbed, and the bluish-purple flowers arranged in short dense spikes, the flower stalk being branched only above the middle. One variety of it has its flowers in a loose pyramidal cluster, while another bears its spikes in a compact level-topped corymb with short firm branches. Another species (_S. bahusiensis_) is characterised by long spikes of distant flowers, the stalk being branched from near the base. The Upright Sea Lavender (_S. binervosa_) of rocky shores has the stalk branched from the middle, with, usually, nearly all the branches flowering, though there are varieties in which the flowers are differently arranged. The Matted Sea Lavender (_S. caspia_) grows in salt marshes on the east coast of England. Its flower stalk is branched from the base, but the lower branches are barren and tangled, while the upper bear small crowded lilac flowers. The leaves of the last two species are spatulate in form.

The Bittersweet or Woody Nightshade (_Solanum Dulcamara_) of the order _Solanaceæ_ is common in hedgerows and waste places almost everywhere, but a variety of it (_marinum_) has its habitat along the coast. It may be distinguished from the normal form by its prostrate branched and non-climbing stem, and by its fleshy leaves. The latter are all cordate, while in the normal the upper leaves are auricular. The order to which _Solanum_ belongs is characterised by a regular five-cleft calyx and corolla, four or five stamens attached to the corolla, and a superior two-celled ovary. The flowers are in axillary cymes, and the fruit is a berry.

_Convolvulaceæ_ is represented on sandy shores by the Sea-side Bindweed (_Convolvulus Soldanella_), a small species, with pinkish purple flowers, the prostrate stem of which rarely measures more than a foot in length. The plants of this order are generally climbing plants with alternate leaves and regular showy flowers. The calyx is composed of five sepals, the corolla of four or five lobes, and the stamens are attached to the corolla. The ovary is superior, two- or four-celled, and the fruit a capsule. The above species may be recognised by its reniform leaves (sagittate in the others), which are also fleshy.

To the order _Gentianaceæ_ belong the Centaury (_Erythræa_), three out of the four British species of which grow on sandy shores. In the flowers of this order the calyx has from four to ten lobes; the stamens also number four to ten, and are alternate with the lobes of the corolla. The ovary is one- or two-celled, and the fruit is a berry with many seeds. The leaves are usually opposite and entire, and the flowers are generally showy, regular, and solitary. _Erythræa_ has a funnel-shaped corolla, five stamens, and two stigmas, on a deciduous style; and in all our species the flower is rose-coloured. The Dwarf Centaury (_E. pulchella_), which is common on some sandy shores, is much smaller than the species that thrives in pastures, being only two or three inches in height. Its stem is also more freely branched, and its flowers are axillary and terminal. The Tufted Centaury (_E. littoralis_) and the Broad-leaved Centaury (_E. latifolia_) occur in similar situations, but are comparatively rare. They are both small species, the former with an unbranched stem, narrow leaves, and corymbose inflorescence; and the latter with branched stem, broad elliptical leaves, and flowers in dense forked tufts.

The extensive order _Compositæ_ contains comparatively few sea-side plants, and, in dealing with these, we pass to another division of the monopetalous flowers, in which the ovary is inferior and the stamens are on the corolla. The order includes those herbaceous plants in which sessile flowers are collected together into compound heads (_capitula_) surrounded by a whorl of bracts. The corolla is either tubular or strap-shaped (_ligulate_), the stamens four or five in number, and the fruit one-seeded, usually crowned with the limb of the calyx in the form of a scaly feathery or hairy pappus.

The Little Lettuce (_Lactuca saligna_) is found in chalky pastures near the east and south-east coasts, growing to a height of about a foot, and bearing heads of yellow flowers in July and August. All the flowers are ligulate and perfect, the pappus is composed of silvery hairs, and the fruit is compressed and beaked, the beak being twice as long as the fruit. The leaves are smooth, linear, and sagittate, terminating in a sharp point. The Sea-side Cotton Weed (_Diotis maritima_) is occasionally met with on sandy shores, and may be recognised by its dense coating of downy hair, its sessile obtuse leaves, and heads of yellow flowers forming a corymb. The heads are discoid, and the fruit has no pappus. The Sea Wormwood (_Artemisia maritima_) is a common sea-shore composite, bearing drooping heads of reddish-white flowers in August. This is another of the downy species, its pinnatifid leaves having quite a woolly appearance. The capitulum contains but few flowers, all of which are perfect; and the fruit has no pappus. A variety of this plant is sometimes seen, with dense erect capitula. The Sea Aster or Michaelmas Daisy (_Aster tripolium_) of salt marshes may be known by the yellow discs and purple rays of its flower heads, which are arranged in a corymb. The florets of the ray form a single row, and the fruit has a hairy pappus. The leaves of this plant are spatulate and fleshy. A variety occurs in which the purple florets of the ray are absent. The Golden Samphire (_Inula crithmoides_) is a very local sea-side plant, being found principally on the south-west coast. Its leafy stems grow to a height of a foot or more, and bear yellow heads of flowers that radiate in all directions. The leaves are linear, acute, and fleshy, and the bracts are linear and imbricated. Our last example of the sea-side composites is the Sea-side Corn Feverfew or Scentless Mayweed, which is a variety of _Matricaria inodora_ of waste places. The leaves are sessile and pinnatifid, with very narrow segments, and the white flowers grow in solitary heads. The maritime variety differs from the normal form in having fleshy leaves.

We next deal with another very extensive order (the _Umbelliferæ_), which, however, has only three or four representatives on the shore, and these introduce us to the last great division of the flowering plants, namely, the _Polypetalous Dicotyledons_, in which the petals are not united. Of these we shall first deal with that subdivision in which the stamens are attached at the side of or upon the ovary.

The most obvious characteristic of the _Umbelliferæ_ is that implied in the name--the arrangement of the flowers in that form of inflorescence, called the umbel, in which the pedicels all branch from one point in the main stalk, and are such that the flowers are all approximately on a level. The flowers are mostly small and white, with five sepals (when present), five petals, and five stamens. The inferior ovary is two-celled, bearing two styles; and the fruit separates into two dry one-seeded carpels that are ribbed longitudinally.

Our first example of this group is the Sea Carrot, a variety of the Wild Carrot (_Daucus carota_). In the ordinary form, which is so common in fields, the leaflets are pinnatifid, with acute segments; and the central flowers of each umbel are purple, while the outer ones are white. The umbel, when in fruit, is concave above. The maritime variety differs from this in having fleshy leaves, and the umbel convex above when in fruit. The Sea Samphire (_Crithmum maritimum_) grows on the rocks close to the sea, and thrives well where there is hardly a vestige of soil. It usually grows to a height of seven or eight inches, bearing greenish-white flowers surrounded by a whorl of very narrow leaves. The other leaves are glaucous and bi-ternate, the leaflets being narrow, fleshy, and tapering towards both ends. On cliffs near the sea, especially in chalky districts, we meet with the Fennel, with its finely-divided leaves, split up into numerous capillary leaflets, and its small yellow flowers without bracts. It may be distinguished from other closely-allied plants by the form of the fruit, which is flattened at the sides. It is grown in some parts for use as a potherb, and an aromatic oil is also obtained from the seeds. The plant grows to a height of four or five feet, but there is a smaller variety known as the Sweet Fennel, and distinguished by the stem being compressed at the base. Our next example of the _Umbelliferæ_ is the Sea Holly (_Eryngium maritimum_), easily distinguished from the other umbellifers by its spiny glaucous leaves, and the thistle-like heads of blue flowers surrounded by a whorl of spiny bracts. Its fleshy creeping roots were formerly gathered largely for the purpose of converting them into the once-prized ‘candied eryngo root,’ which is still prepared in a few of the fishing villages of our coast. The lower leaves of this plant are spinous and very glaucous, and the upper ones palmate. The venation is particularly strong and durable, so that the leaves and flowers are used largely by the sea-side cottagers in the construction of skeleton bouquets and wreaths. Another plant of the same genus--The Field Eryngo (_E. campestre_)--is occasionally seen on sandy shores. It differs from the last in having ternate radical leaves with pinnatifid lobes, and the upper leaves, bi-pinnatifid. Our last example of the sea-side umbellifers is the Wild Celery (_Apium graveolens_) of salt marshes and ditches. This is the plant from which our highly-valued garden celery has been produced, and it is remarkable that this sweet crisp and wholesome vegetable has been derived from a wild plant of coarse taste and odour, the acrid sap of which is highly irritating if not dangerous. The plant may be known by its furrowed stem, and ternate leaves, the leaflets of the lower leaves being round and lobed, while those of the upper ones are notched. The umbels are sessile or nearly so, the flowers have no calyx, and the fruit has five prominent ridges.

On the sandy shores of the south-western counties we may meet with the very local Four-leaved Allseed (_Polycarpon tetraphyllum_) of the order _Illecebraceæ_. It is a small plant, only four or five inches in height, with the lower leaves in whorls of four and the upper ones in opposite pairs. The flowers are minute, and are disposed in small dense clusters.

Another rare species is the shrub known as the English Tamarisk (_Tamarix anglica_), which is our only representative of the order _Tamariscaceæ_. There is some doubt, however, whether even this is indigenous to Britain, though it occurs in a wild state on the coast. It is a very twiggy shrub growing from six to ten feet in height, with minute scale-like, acute leaves, and slender spikes of small pinkish-white flowers.

We now pass to the large order of Leguminous plants, characterised by their stipuled leaves, and irregular papilionaceous flowers. The latter usually have five united sepals, five petals forming an irregular, butterfly-like corolla, ten stamens, and a superior ovary that develops into a pod.

Of these the Starry-headed Trefoil (_Trifolium stellatum_) is very partial to the sea shore, though it is sometimes found some distance inland. The genus to which it belongs is so called on account of its trifoliate leaves which are characteristic of the clovers, trefoils, and vetches, and which have stipules adhering to the petioles. The species under notice receives its name from the star-like arrangement of the long teeth of the hairy calyx. The stem of the plant is procumbent, usually about six or eight inches long, with cylindrical and terminal heads of yellowish-grey flowers.

The Rough-podded Yellow Vetch (_Vicia lutea_) is somewhat rare, and occurs principally on very rocky coasts. In common with the other vetches it has pinnate, tendrilled leaves, without a terminal leaflet, one stamen free and the rest united into a bundle, and a long, slender, hairy style. Its stem is tufted and prostrate, averaging about a foot in length, the leaflets long and narrow, and the yellow flowers sessile and solitary. The teeth of the calyx are unequal, and the pods hairy and curved.

The Sea-Side Everlasting Pea (_Lathyrus maritimus_) is a much commoner plant of the coast, and may be readily recognised by its general resemblance to the garden sweet-pea. The genus to which it belongs is closely allied to the vetches, but may be distinguished by the style, which is flattened below the stigma, hairy on the inner or upper side, but quite smooth on the outer side. The sea-side species has an angled (but not winged) stem, from one to three feet long, compound tendrilled leaves with many oval leaflets, and large oval or cordate stipules. Its purple flowers are in bloom during July and August. A variety of this plant (_acutifolius_), with a slender straggling stem and narrow acute leaflets, occurs on some parts of the Scottish coast.

The _Geraniaceæ_ is represented at the sea-side by the Sea Stork’s-bill (_Erodium maritimum_), which, however, is by no means a very common flower. Its relationship to the other stork’s-bills and the crane’s-bills may be readily proved by the five persistent sepals, five distinct clawed petals, the five to ten stamens attached _under_ the ovary (for we have now reached that division of the polypetalous exogens distinguished by this mode of insertion of the stamens), and the five carpels surrounding a long beak resembling that of the stork and the crane. The plant may sometimes be seen on sandy shores, averaging a foot in height, though very variable in this respect, and displaying its pretty pink flowers during the whole of the summer. The principal features by which it is to be distinguished from the two other British plants of the same species are its ovate or cordate leaves with very short petioles, and the presence of only one or two flowers on each peduncle.

Passing now to the Sea Mallow (_Lavatera arborea_), we are dealing with another rather rare plant, of the order _Malvaceæ_, sometimes met with on rocky coasts, chiefly, it appears, on the north coast of Cornwall and Devon. This is a very shrubby plant, as its specific name implies, and it is sometimes popularly known as the Tree Mallow on that account. It has a very woody stem, growing to a height of four or five feet, and bearing seven-pointed, downy leaves, and solitary, axillary, purple flowers. As in the other mallows, the flowers have five petals, which are curiously twisted when in the bud, five sepals, a large number of stamens united into a tube, and an ovary of many cells, but it may be distinguished from the other species of the order by its three-lobed bracts. The plant is found principally in wild, uncultivated spots, but is commonly grown as a garden plant by the cottagers of villages in the south-west, and under cultivation it frequently grows to a height of nine or ten feet, with a tree-like stem three or four inches in thickness; and it produces such a quantity of fibre that its cultivation for manufacturing purposes has been suggested.

We now come to another of the very extensive orders, at least as far as British plants are concerned, although it contains only a few sea-side species. We refer to the _Caryophyllaceæ_, containing the pinks, campions, catchflies, chickweeds, &c. The chief features of the order are jointed, herbaceous stems, opposite leaves, and regular white or red flowers with four or five sepals and petals, eight or ten stamens, and a capsular fruit opening at the top with teeth.

One of the commonest species we have to consider is the Sea Campion (_Silene maritima_), common on nearly all coasts, and often growing in small crevices of the bare rocks quite within the reach of the spray of storm-waves. In common with the other members of its genus it is characterised by a tubular calyx of united sepals, ten stamens, and a three-celled capsule opening at the top with six teeth; but it may be known at once by its small size, being only a few inches in height, and its solitary flowers with calyx much inflated and the corolla only shortly cleft.

The Sea Sand Wort (_Spergularia marina_) is another common plant of the coast, recognised by its slender, creeping stems; linear, stipuled, fleshy leaves, convex below and blunt at the apex; and its pinkish-white flowers. The Sea Purslane (_Honckenya peploides_), belonging to the same order, is also a creeping plant, with ovate, acute fleshy leaves, flowering from May to August. It is the only British plant of its genus, and may be distinguished from others by the absence of stipules, distinct sepals, petals entire, ten stamens, and from three to five styles. The flowers are white, solitary, and sessile. The one remaining species of the sea-side _Caryophyllaceæ_ is the Sea Pearl Wort (_Sagina maritima_). This plant is closely allied to the last, being a creeper with exstipulate leaves and distinct sepals, but its flowers are reddish white, on erect peduncles, with very small petals. The leaves, too, are linear, fleshy, and obtuse. There are three distinct varieties of this plant, two of which have erect stems with short internodes, while the third is procumbent with long internodes; and in all three the capsules are shorter than the sepals.

A variety of the Common Milk Wort (_Polygala vulgaris_)--order _Polygalaceæ_--is moderately common on sandy shores. The ordinary form of the species, which is so common on heaths, is a small plant with a woody stem, small ovate leaves crowded below, and opposite lanceolate leaves above. The flowers are irregular with five persistent sepals, two larger than the others; three to five petals, the lowest keeled, and all united to the tube formed by the eight stamens, which are divided above into two bundles; and the fruit is a flat capsule with two one-seeded cells. The flowers are very variable in colour, being white, pink, lilac, or blue; and the seeds are downy. The sea-side variety (_oxyptera_) has smaller flowers than the normal form, and the wings of the calyx are narrower.

One species of Pansy (_Viola Curtisii_) is occasionally to be met with on sandy shores, and may be at once recognised as one of the _Violaceæ_ by its irregular spurred corolla, its five persistent sepals, and the three-parted, one-celled ovary. The flowers are variable in colour and size, the prevailing tints being blue and yellow, and the diameter of the corolla occasionally reaching to one inch. It has a creeping woody rootstock, and a rough angular stem; and the petals are generally but little longer than the sepals.

The Shrubby Mignonette (_Reseda suffruticulosa_), of the order _Resedaceæ_, is a common sea-side plant that grows to a height of one or two feet on sandy shores, bearing spikes of white flowers in July and August. The order is characterised by alternate exstipulate leaves, persistent calyx with four or five sepals, corolla of from four to seven petals, many stamens, and a three-lobed, one-celled ovary. The sea-side species is very much like the wild mignonette so common in chalky districts, but differs in having all its leaves pinnate, waved, and glaucous, with linear segments; and in having five _equal_ sepals and petals. In a variety of the species, however, the sepals and petals are six in number.

The Crucifers are fairly well represented by coast plants, there being several maritime species of the order. The _Cruciferæ_ are named from the nature of the corolla, the limbs of the four petals of which are arranged so as to resemble the Maltese cross. The flowers have also four sepals, six stamens, two of which are shorter than the other four, and the fruit takes the form of a two-celled pod or pouch which opens by the separation of its two valves from the central partition.

Our first example is the Wild Cabbage (_Brassica oleracea_), which, although so unlike the cabbage of our gardens, is really the parent of all the cultivated varieties, including the cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, &c. It is a biennial plant, with fleshy lobed wavy leaves that are covered with bluish bloom, and a fleshy cylindrical root. It grows erect to a height of one or two feet, bearing yellow flowers during the summer months. An allied species (_B. monensis_), with a prostrate stem and deeply-divided leaves, occurs locally on the sandy shores of the Isle of Man.

Two species of Stock (_Matthiola_) are to be found on the coast, both being characterised by purple flowers. The Great Sea Stock (_M. sinuata_) is a rare plant growing on the shores of Wales and Cornwall, and may be known by its herbaceous stem and narrow downy leaves; and the other species--the Hoary Shrubby Stock (_M. incana_)--is also a rare plant, found principally on the cliffs of the Isle of Wight, and is the parent of the Brompton Stocks of our gardens. The latter has a branched woody stem and narrow leaves. Both species grow to a height of about eighteen inches, and the latter flowers in May and June, while the former is in bloom during the hottest summer months.

The Hare’s-ear Treacle Mustard (_Erysimum orientale_) is a rare crucifer, frequenting the cliffs of the southern and eastern counties. It grows to a height of one to two feet, and bears its white flowers about midsummer. It has glaucous leaves, and the fruit-pods are quadrangular in form.

The Common Scurvy Grass (_Cochlearia officinalis_) is abundant on many shores, and its fleshy leaves, once highly valued as an antiscorbutic, are still used for salad by the cottagers near the sea. It generally grows to a height of six or seven inches, and displays its white flowers during late spring and early summer. The root-leaves are cordate in form, and the upper ones are sessile and angled, half embracing the stem. The fruit is a rounded pouch. A variety (_danica_) with stalked, deltoid leaves and an oval veiny pod, is _plentiful_ in some places.

On some coasts we find the Sweet Alyssum (_Koniga maritima_)--a naturalised plant with procumbent stem, narrow lanceolate, acute leaves, and white flowers. It may be recognised by its compressed, pointed pouch with one-seeded cells. This species flowers towards the end of the summer.

The Sea Radish (_Raphanus maritimus_) is a much larger plant, growing three or four feet in height. In common with the Wild Radish of our corn-fields, it has a tapering pod divided into one-seeded joints, but it may be distinguished from the latter by its superior height and the deeply-divided radical leaves. Its flowers are always yellow, while in the field species they may be either yellow or white; and the style is also shorter, being about the same length as the last joint of the pod.

On sandy shores the Sea Rocket (_Cakile maritima_) is commonly seen, and is readily distinguished by its zigzag branches, deeply-lobed, smooth, fleshy leaves of a glaucous colour, and its succulent pod, which is divided into two one-seeded cells by a horizontal partition. It grows from one to two feet high, and bears pretty lilac flowers about midsummer.

Our last example of the crucifers is the Sea Kale (_Crambe maritima_), a hardy perennial, commonly seen growing among the sand and shingle of the shore, which is the parent of the sea kale now so commonly cultivated in our market gardens. It may be readily recognised by the fine glaucous bloom of its stem, and its broad wavy toothed leaves of a glaucous grey colour. It grows to a height of about eighteen inches, and bears white flowers in June. The fruit is a two-jointed pouch, the upper being rounded and one-seeded, while the lower is stalk-like and barren. This plant is particularly common in the south-west of England, where the leaves are sometimes blanched for food by burying them in the sand.

One of the most striking plants of the coast is the Yellow Horned Poppy (_Glaucium luteum_) of the order _Papaveraceæ_, which contains the well-known poppies of corn-fields. The general characteristics of the order are two deciduous sepals, four petals, many stamens inserted below the ovary, and the ovary one-celled with membranous divisions. The plants of this species usually contain a milky juice, have alternate leaves without stipules, and the flowers, which are regular, generally nod when in bud. The Horned Poppy is a very conspicuous plant, usually growing quite alone on some inaccessible portion of the cliff, or among the pebbles or shingle not far from high-water mark. Its stem is glaucous and branched, and the large waved and deeply-cut leaves, which clasp the stem, are also of a glaucous hue. The flowers are rendered conspicuous by their large yellow petals, which, however, last only for a day, and are succeeded by the hornlike seed-pods that sometimes reach a foot in length.

We will conclude our list of sea-side flowers by a brief mention of the Lesser Meadow Rue (_Thalictrum minus_), a variety of which (_maritimum_) grows on sandy shores. The Meadow Rue belongs to the _Ranunculaceæ_, as may be seen from the fruit of several distinct carpels, each containing a single seed, the corolla of distinct petals, and the numerous stamens inserted below the carpels. The normal form of the Lesser Meadow Rue, which grows freely in some chalky pastures and thickets, has leaves three or four times pinnate, and lax panicles of drooping flowers without any petals. The sea-side variety differs from this in having the stem leafless at the base, and the panicles leafless and broad. The flowers are greenish white, and bloom in July and August.

To assist the reader in the identification of sea-side flowers we append a list of the orders to which they belong, together with the principal distinguishing characteristics of each.

SYNOPSIS OF THE NATURAL ORDERS WHICH CONTAIN OUR PRINCIPAL SEA-SIDE FLOWERING PLANTS

I. MONOCOTYLEDONS

A. GLUMIFERÆ

FLOWERS WITHOUT A PERIANTH, ENCLOSED IN GLUMES

=1. Gramineæ=--Grassy plants with hollow stems enclosed in split sheaths. Flowers generally bisexual with (usually) three stamens.

=2. Cyperaceæ=--Grassy plants with solid stems and entire sheaths. Flowers arranged in spikelets, unisexual or bisexual, with from one to three stamens.

B. PETALOIDÆ

PERIANTH PETALOID

=3. Juncaceæ=--Rushes, with narrow leaves and small brown flowers. Perianth 6-partite, with scarious segments. Stamens usually 6; ovary superior; fruit a 3-valved capsule.

=4. Naiadaceæ=--Aquatic herbs with inconspicuous, unisexual or bisexual flowers. Perianth absent or scale-like. Stamens as many as the segments of the perianth. Fruit of from one to four carpels--superior.

=5. Alismaceæ=--Aquatic plants with radical net-veined leaves, and (generally) conspicuous, white, bisexual flowers. Perianth 6-partite. Stamens 6. Fruit of many carpels--superior.

=6. Liliaceæ=--Herbs with narrow leaves and showy, bisexual flowers. Perianth 6-partite. Stamens 6. Ovary superior, 3-celled. Fruit a berry or capsule.

II. DICOTYLEDONS

A. CALYX, OR COROLLA, OR BOTH ABSENT

=7. Euphorbiaceæ=--Herbs with entire leaves and (generally) a milky juice. Flowers small, unisexual, diœcious (male and female flowers on separate plants), sometimes enclosed in calyx-like bracts. Perianth 3- or 4-partite or absent. Stamens one or more. Ovary inferior. Fruit separating into carpels elastically.

=8. Eleagnaceæ=--Shrub with silvery scales, alternate, entire leaves, and small, unisexual flowers--the staminate flowers in catkins. Sepals of male flowers 3 or 4. Stamens 4 to 8. Ovary superior. Fruit indehiscent (not splitting).

=9. Polygonaceæ=--Herbs with sheathing stipules, alternate leaves, and small (generally) bisexual flowers. Stamens 5 to 8. Ovary superior. Fruit indehiscent.

=10. Chenopodiaceæ=--Herbs with jointed stems and small unisexual or bisexual flowers. Stamens usually 5, sometimes 1 or 2, opposite the sepals. Ovary superior. Fruit indehiscent.

B. PLANTS WITH BOTH CALYX AND COROLLA

_a._ COROLLA MONOPETALOUS

1. _Ovary Superior and Stamens generally on the Corolla_

=11. Plantaginaceæ=--Herbs with radical entire leaves, and spikes of small, green flowers. Calyx 4-cleft. Corolla 4-lobed, scarious. Stamens 4. Ovary 2- to 4-celled. Fruit many-seeded.

=12. Plumbaginaceæ=--Herbs with radical or alternate leaves, and (generally) regular, blue flowers. Calyx tubular, scarious. Corolla of 5 petals, united below. Stamens 5, opposite the petals, attached below the ovary. Ovary 1-celled and 1-seeded.

=13. Primulaceæ=--Herbs with (generally) radical leaves and conspicuous, regular flowers. Calyx 4- to 7-cleft. Corolla 4- to 7-cleft. Stamens 4 to 7, generally opposite the petals. Ovary 1-celled. Fruit a capsule with many seeds.

=14. Solanaceæ=--Herbs with alternate leaves and axillary clusters of regular flowers. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla 5-cleft. Stamens 4 or 5. Ovary 2-celled. Fruit a berry.

=15. Convolvulaceæ=--Climbing herbs with alternate leaves and showy, regular flowers. Sepals 5. Corolla 4- or 5-lobed. Stamens 4 or 5. Ovary 2- to 4-celled. Fruit a capsule.

=16. Gentianaceæ=--Herbs with opposite entire leaves and solitary regular flowers. Calyx 4- to 10-lobed. Corolla 4- to 10-lobed. Stamens 4 to 10, alternate with the lobes of the corolla. Ovary 1- or 2-celled. Fruit a capsule.

2. _Ovary Inferior and Stamens on the Corolla_

=17. Compositæ=--Herbs with flowers (generally yellow or white) collected into compact heads. Calyx absent or represented by a pappus. Corolla tubular or ligulate. Stamens 4 or 5.

_b._ COROLLA POLYPETALOUS

1. _Stamens Perigynous_ (_around the Ovary_), _or Epigynous_ (_upon the Ovary_)

=18. Umbelliferæ=--Herbs with (generally) compound leaves, and small, white, umbelled flowers. Sepals (if present) 5. Petals 5. Stamens 5. Ovary inferior. Fruit of two adhering carpels.

=19. Illecebraceæ=--Small herbs with sessile, entire leaves, and small flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5 or absent. Stamens 1 to 5. Ovary superior.

=20. Tamariscaceæ=--Shrub with small, scale-like leaves, and lateral spikes of small regular flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens 4 or more.

=21. Leguminosæ=--Herbs or shrubs with alternate, stipuled, pinnate or ternate leaves, sometimes tendrilled, and irregular flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Corolla of 5 petals, papilionaceous (butterfly-like). Stamens usually 10. Ovary superior. Fruit a pod.

2. _Stamens Hypogynous_ (_attached below the Ovary_)

=22. Geraniaceæ=--Herbs with stipuled, lobed leaves, and showy regular flowers. Sepals 5. Petals 5. Stamens 5 or 10. Fruit of 5 carpels surrounding a long beak.

=23. Malvaceæ=--Herbs with alternate, stipuled leaves, and axillary, red, or purple flowers. Sepals 5. Petals 5, twisted in the bud. Stamens numerous, united into a tube. Ovary of many cells.

=24. Caryophyllaceæ=--Herbs with (generally) jointed stems, opposite leaves, and regular white or red flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens 8 or 10. Fruit a 1-celled capsule opening at the top with teeth.

=25. Polygalaceæ=--Herbs with alternate, simple leaves (without stipules), and irregular flowers. Sepals 5, the inner petal-like. Petals 3 to 5, unequal. Stamens 8, in two clusters. Fruit a 2-celled capsule.

=26. Violaceæ=--Herbs with alternate, stipuled leaves and irregular flowers. Sepals 5. Petals 5, unequal, the lower one spurred. Stamens 5. Ovary 3-partite, but 1-celled.

=27. Resedaceæ=--Herbs or shrubs with alternate, exstipulate leaves, and spikes of irregular, green flowers. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 to 7, unequal. Stamens more than 10. Ovary 3-lobed, and 1-celled.

=28. Cruciferæ=--Herbs with alternate, exstipulate leaves, and regular flowers. Sepals 4. Petals 4, cruciate. Stamens 6--4 longer and 2 shorter. Ovary 1- or 2-celled. Fruit a siliqua or a silicula.

=29. Papaveraceæ=--Herbs with alternate, exstipulate leaves, a milky juice, and regular, showy flowers. Sepals 2, deciduous. Petals 4. Stamens numerous. Ovary 1-celled with membranous partitions.

=30. Ranunculaceæ=--Herbs with (generally) alternate leaves and regular flowers. Sepals generally 5, distinct. Petals 5 or more. Stamens numerous. Fruit of many, distinct carpels.

INDEX

Acalephæ, 134

Acanthias, 319

Acarina, 304

Aclis, 246

Acmæa, 240

Acorn Barnacles, 263

Actinia, 142

Actinoloba, 143

Actora, 300

Adamsia, 154

Adeorbis, 243

Ægirus, 235

Æolidæ, 235

Æpophilus, 297

Aëpus, 303

Agonus, 335

Aiptasia, 144

Alaria, 385

Alcyonium, 155

Algæ, 344, 347

-- reproduction, 351

Alismaceæ, 401, 423

Allseed, 413

Alopecurus, 397

Ambulacrum, 163

Ammodytes, 326

Ammophila, 396

Amœba, 102

Amphibia, 307

Amphipoda, 267, 304

Anarrhichas, 334

Anatinidæ, 204, 255

Anemones, 127, 138

Angiosperms, 346, 348

Angler Fish, 336

Angling, 34

Anguilla, 324

Anguillidæ, 323

Angular Crab, 289

Annelida, 177

Anomia, 222

Anomura, 279

Antedon, 160

Anthea, 149

Anurida, 299

Apetalæ, 402

Aphaniptera, 305

Aphrodita, 179

Apium, 412

Aporrhais, 245

Aquarium, 51

-- aeration of, 61, 63

-- cement for, 54, 57

-- construction of, 53

-- fountain, 64

-- temporary, 52

-- weeds for, 61

Arachnoidea, 257, 293, 304

Araneidæ, 304

Arca, 216

Arcadæ, 216, 255

Arctopsis, 289

Arenicola, 178

Armeria, 408

Artemisia, 410

Arthropoda, 255

-- classification, 304

Asiphonida, 198, 216, 255

Asparagus, 402

Asperococcus, 383

Astarte, 212

Aster, 410

Asteroidea, 171

Atherina, 332

Atherinidæ, 332

Atriplex, 406

Aurelia, 135

Aviculidæ, 219, 255

Badderlocks, 385

Baits, 39

Balanophyllia, 152

Balanus, 6, 263

Banded Cockle, 216

Barley Grasses, 395

Barnacles, 261

Bass, 338

Beach Fleas, 263

Beadlet, 142

Beard Grass, 397

Beet, 405

Bembidiidæ, 301

Bembidium, 302

Beroe, 137

Bittersweet, 409

Bledius, 304

Blennies, 332

Blenniidæ, 332

Blennius, 334

Blue Shark, 320

Bonnet Limpet, 240

Bopyrus, 267

Boring Pill-ball, 268

Boring Sponge, 124

Bottle-brush, 132

Brachelytra, 303

Brachiopods, 224

Brachyura, 271, 279, 285, 304

Branchiopoda, 265, 304

Brassica, 418

Bread-crumb Sponge, 123

Bristle-tails, 298

Brittle Starfish, 157, 159, 161

Broad-clawed Crab, 280

Brome Grasses, 395

Bromus, 395

Bryopsis, 354

Bryozoa, 188

Buccinidæ, 248, 255

Buccinum, 248

Bugs, 297

Bulla, 236

Bull-heads, 335

Bull Huss, 320

Bunodes, 150

Butter Gunnel, 334

Byssus, 43, 195

Cabinets, 89

Cæcum, 245

Cakile, 420

Calamary, 252

Calcarea, 119

Calcareous Sponges, 119

Callianassa, 277

Calliblepharis, 367

Callionymus, 335

Callithamnion, 61, 358

Callophyllis, 365

Calpurna, 248

Calyptræa, 241

Calyptræidæ, 240, 255

Canary Grass, 396

Cancer, 292

Carangidæ, 338

Caranx, 338

Carapace, 272

Carchariidæ, 320

Carcharius, 320

Carcinus, 291

Cardiadæ, 214, 255

Cardium, 214

Carex, 398

Carrageen Moss, 61, 364

Caryophyllaceæ, 415, 425

Caryophyllia, 151

Catometopa, 286, 289

Cave-dweller, 147

Cell for live objects, 95

Cement for aquarium, 57

Centaury, 409

Centipedes, 305

Cephalophora, 191, 225, 255

Cephalopoda, 191, 250, 255

Ceramiaceæ, 358, 389

Ceramium, 61, 362

Cerati-solen, 207

Cerithiadæ, 245, 255

Cerithium, 245

Cetacea, 340

Chætopoda, 177

Chalina, 122

Chalk, 109

Chambered Mussel, 219

Channelled Wrack, 387

Charales, 343, 348

Chenopodiaceæ, 405, 424

Chenopodium, 405

Chilognatha, 305

Chilopoda, 305

Chironomus, 301

Chiton, 237

Chitonidæ, 237, 255

Chlorophyll, 74

Chlorospermeæ, 350, 389

Chondria, 374

Chondrus, 61, 364

Chorda, 385

Chordaria, 381

Chordariaceæ, 380, 390

Chrysaora, 136

Chylocladia, 364

Cillenium, 303

Circe, 212

Cirripedia, 261, 304

Cladophora, 352

Cladostephus, 380

Cliffs, 2

Cliona, 124

Cloak Anemone, 154

Club-mosses, 345

Club Rush, 399

Clupea, 322

Clupeidæ, 322

Coast--general characters of, 1

Cochlearia, 419

Cockles, 214

Cod, 327

Codium, 353

Cœlenterates, 127

Cœlopa, 300

Coleoptera, 301, 305

Columella, 226

Common sponges, 119

Compositæ, 410, 425

Cone Shells, 248

Conidæ, 248, 255

Coniferæ, 347, 348

Confervaceæ, 352, 389

Convolvulaceæ, 409, 425

Convolvulus, 409

Copepoda, 264, 304

Corallina, 61, 369

Corallinaceæ, 369, 390

Corallines--preserving 87

Corals, 151

Corbula, 206

Cord Grass, 398

Cordylecladia, 366

Cornish Sucker, 330

Corrosive sublimate, 75

Corystes, 286

Cottidæ, 335

Cottus, 335

Cowries, 247

Crab-pots, 26

Crabs--as bait, 44

-- preserving, 81

Crambe, 420

Crangon, 278

Crenella, 219

Crinoidea, 171

Crithmum, 411

Cruciferæ, 417, 426

Crustacea, 257, 304

Crustaceans--preserving, 80

Cryptogams, 343, 347

Cryptonemiaceæ, 363, 389

Ctenophora, 137

Cup Coral, 151

Cup-and-saucer Limpet, 240

Cutleria, 382

Cuttlefishes, 191, 251, 253

Cycadeæ, 347, 348

Cyclometopa, 286, 291

Cyclostomata, 307, 308

Cydippe, 137

Cynodon, 396

Cyperaceæ, 398, 423

Cypræa, 248

Cypræidæ, 247, 255

Cyprina, 212

Cyprinidæ, 212, 255

Cystoclonium, 365

Cystoseira, 387

Cythere, 266

Cytheria, 211

Cyttidæ 338

Dactylopteridæ, 335

Dahlia Wartlet, 143

Daisy Anemone, 146

Danica, 419

Dasya, 376

Daucus, 411

Dead Men's Fingers, 155

Decapoda (Decapods), 251, 255, 269, 271, 279, 304

Delesseria, 366, 368

Delphinidæ, 340

Demospongia, 119

Dendronotus, 235

Dentaliadæ, 238, 255

Desmarestia, 385

Devon Cup-coral, 151

Dibranchiata, 251, 255

Dicotyledons, 347, 403, 424

Dictyosiphon, 383

Dictyotaceæ, 382, 390

Dillisk, 365

Diotis, 410

Diptera, 299, 305

Dissecting microscope, 91

Dissecting trough, 98

Dissection, 91

Dog-fishes, 318

Dog Whelks, 248

Dog Winkles, 248

Dog's-tooth Grass, 396

Dolichopodidæ, 300

Dolphin, 340

Donax, 208

Doridæ, 235

Doto, 235

Dragonet, 335

Dredge, 26

Dreissina, 219

Dromia, 282

Dulse, 61, 365

Dumontia, 363

Dyschirius, 304

Ear-shell, 242

Echinocyamus, 168

Echinoderms, 157

Echinoidea, 171

Echinus, 168

Ectocarpaceæ, 378, 390

Ectocarpus, 378

Edible Cockle, 214

Edible Crab, 292

Edible Mussel, 217

Edriophthalmata, 266, 304

Eel, 323

Elachista, 381

Elasmobranchii, 318

Eleagnaceæ, 403, 424

Eleocharis, 399

Elymus, 395

Elysia, 235

Emarginula, 242

Enteromorpha, 61, 355

Entomostraca, 266, 304

Equisetales, 345, 348

Erato, 248

Erodium, 414

Eryngium, 412

Eryngo, 412

Erysimum, 418

Erythræa, 409

Establishment of port, 17

Eulima, 246

Euphorbia, 403

Euphorbiaceæ, 403, 424

Euplexoptera, 305

Exogenæ, 402

Father Lasher, 335

Feather Starfish, 159, 160

Ferns, 345

Fescue Grass, 396

Festuca, 396

Filicales, 345, 348

Fishes, 307

-- classification, 318

-- colour of, 313

-- distribution, 317

-- fins of, 311

-- gills, 312

-- preserving, 85

-- scales of, 309

-- skeleton, 314

-- tails, 315

Fishing, 34

Fishing Frog, 336

Fissurella, 241

Fissurellidæ, 241, 255

Five-fingered Starfish, 157

Flat-fishes, 324

Floating Crab, 289

Flounders, 325

Flowering Plants--classification, 423

Flowers--fertilisation, 393

-- preserving, 86

-- structure, 346

Flustra, 188

Flying Gurnards, 335

Foraminifera, 106

Formaldehyde, 73

Fox-tail Grass, 398

Fragacea, 142

Fucaceæ, 386, 390

Fucus, 386

Fungi, 344, 347

Furbelows, 384

Furcellaria, 364

Fusus, 249

Gadiadæ, 327

Gadus, 327

Galeomma, 214

Gamopetalæ, 403

Gaper shell, 205

Gasteropoda, 232, 255

Gastrochæna, 203

Gastrochænidæ, 203, 255

Gastrosteidæ, 331

Gastrosteus, 331

Gebia, 276

Gelidiaceæ, 390

Gelidium, 367

Gem Pimplet, 150

Gentianaceæ, 409, 425

Geodephaga, 301

Gephyrea, 176

Geraniaceæ, 414, 425

Gibb's Crab, 289

Gigartina, 364

Glass-wort, 407

Glaucium, 420

Globigerina, 109

Globular Beroe, 137

Gloisiphonia, 364

Glumiferæ, 423

Glycerine, 73

Goadby's fluid, 73

Gobies, 334

Gobiidæ, 334

Gobioesocidæ, 330

Gobius, 334

Golden Samphire, 411

Gonoplax, 290

Goosefoot, 405

Gracilaria, 366

Gramineæ, 392, 423

Grantia, 120

Grass-wracks, 400

Green Laver, 61

Green Pea-urchin, 168

Grey Mullet, 332

Griffithsia, 61, 360

Ground bait, 49

Gurnards, 335

Gymnosperms, 346, 348

Haddock, 327

Hake, 328

Halecium, 131

Halibut, 326

Halichondria, 123

Halidrys, 388

Haliotidæ, 242, 255

Haliotis, 242

Halurus, 361

Hapalidiaceæ, 390

Hare's Ear, 418

Heart Cockle, 212

Heart Urchin, 168

Helminthocladiæ, 389

Henslow's Crab, 293

Henware, 385

Hepaticæ, 344, 348

Hermit Crab, 44, 154, 280, 232

Herring, 322

Herring-bone Polype, 131

Hexactinellida, 119

Himanthalia, 387

Hippoglossus, 326

Hippophaë, 403

Hog-louse, 268

Holostomata, 236, 255

Holothuroidea, 169

Homarus, 274

Honckenya, 416

Honeyware, 385

Hook-nose, 335

Hooks--fishing, 37

Hordeum, 395

Horned Poppy, 420

Horse Limpet, 240

Horse Mackerel, 338

Horse Mussels, 218

Horsetails, 345

Hydrozoa, 130

Hymenoptera, 305

Hypnæa, 365

Ianthina, 242

Illecebraceæ, 412, 425

Inachus, 289

Infusoria, 104, 112

Insecta (Insects), 257, 294, 305

Inula, 411

Iridæa, 364

Irish Moss, 61, 364

Isocardia, 212

Isopoda, 267, 304

Isotoma, 299

Jania, 370

Jelly-fishes, 127, 134

John Dory, 338

Juncaceæ, 400, 423

Juncus, 400

Keyhole Limpet, 241

Knappia, 397

Knot-grasses, 404

Knotted Wrack, 386

Koniga, 419

Labial palpi, 197

Labridæ, 329

Lactuca, 410

Lacuna, 244

Lady Crab, 292

Lamellibranchiata (Lamellibranchs), 191, 192, 255

Laminaria, 384

Laminariaceæ, 384, 390

Lampreys, 308

Lathyrus, 413

Laurencia, 370

Laurenciaceæ, 370, 390

Lavatera, 415

Laver, 61, 354

Leathesia, 381

Leda, 217

Leguminosæ, 413, 425

Lemon Sole, 326

Lenses, 91

Lepadogaster, 330

Lepidoptera, 305

Lepturus, 395

Lesser Rue, 422

Leucosolenia, 121

Ligia, 268

Liliaceæ, 402, 423

Limnoria, 268

Limpets, 43, 238

Ling, 328

Lithodes, 282

Litosiphon, 383

Little Lettuce, 410

Littorina, 243

Littorinidæ, 244, 255

Liverworts, 344

Lobster pots, 26

Lobsters, 274 preserving, 81

Loligo, 252

Lomentaria, 371

Long-armed Crab, 286

Lophius, 336

Lucinidæ, 213, 255

Lugworm, 39, 178

Lutraria, 209

Lycopodiales, 345, 348

Machilis, 298

Mackerel, 337

Macrura, 271, 279, 304

Mactra, 209

Mactridæ, 209, 255

Maia, 289

Malacostraca, 266, 304

Malvaceæ, 415, 425

Mammals, 307, 339

Mantis Shrimps, 270

Marginella, 248

Marine aquarium, 51

Marsipobranchii, 308

Mat-grass, 396

Matricaria, 411

Matthiola, 418

Maugeria, 366

Meadow Grasses, 395

Meadow Rue, 421

Medusæ, 134

Medusoids, 133

Melanospermeæ, 350, 376, 290

Melobesia, 370

Merluccius, 328

Mesembryanthemum, 142

Mesenteries, 139

Mesogloia, 381

Methylated spirit, 72

Michaelmas Daisy, 410

Micralymma, 303

Milkwort, 416

Millepedes, 305

Modiola, 218

Molluscs, 190

-- bivalve, 192

-- classification, 255

Molva, 328

Monera, 110

Monocotyledons, 347, 391, 423

Montagu's Sucker, 331

Morone, 338

Moss Polyps, 188

Mosses, 344

Motella, 328

Mud-burrower, 277

Mugil, 332

Mugilidæ, 332

Mullidæ, 338

Mullus, 338

Murex, 249

Muricidæ, 249, 255

Murlins, 385

Musci, 344, 348

Muscineæ, 343, 344, 348

Museum, 88

Mussels, 42, 217

Mustelus, 320

Mya, 205

Myacidæ, 205, 255

Myrionema, 381

Myriopoda, 257, 305

Myriotrichia, 379

Mytilidæ, 217, 255

Mytilus, 217

Naiadaceæ, 400, 423

Nassa, 249

Natica, 246

Naticidæ, 246, 255

Nautilidæ, 255

Needle-fish, 329

Nephrops, 275

Nereis, 284

Nerophis, 329

Nesæa, 268

Nets, Collecting, 23

Neuroptera, 305

Nitophyllum, 367

Noctiluca, 114

Norway Lobster, 275

Notched Limpets, 242

Nucleobranchiata, 232, 255

Nucula, 217

Nudibranchiata, 233, 255

Nummulites, 108

Nummulitic limestone, 110

Nurse Dog, 320

Nut Crabs, 286

Obione, 405

Octopoda, 251, 255

Octopus, 251

Odonthalia, 375

Odostomia, 246

Oleasters, 403

Oligochæta, 177

Omar, 242

Oniscoda, 268

Opelet, 149

Operculum, 83, 227

Ophidiidæ, 326

Ophiuroidea, 171

Opisthobranchiata, 232, 255

Opossum Shrimps, 270

Oraches, 406

Orange-disked Anemone, 148

Orthoptera, 305

Osmerus, 321

Ostracoda, 265, 304

Ostrea, 221

Ostreidæ, 221, 255

Outdoor work, 21

Ovulum, 248

Oxyptera, 416

Oxyrhyncha, 286

Oxystomata, 286

Oysters, 221

Padina, 382

Pagurus, 282, 285

Pallial line, 193

Pansy, 417

Papaveraceæ, 420, 426

Parasitic Anemone, 153

Patella, 239

Patellidæ, 255

Paternoster, 48

Pea Crabs, 289

Pea Urchin, 168

Peachia, 145

Pearl Oysters, 219

Pecten, 222

Pectunculus, 216

Pennant's Crab, 286

Pepper Dulse, 370

Pericardium, 196

Peristome, 226

Periwinkle, 62, 243

Petaloidæ, 423

Phalaris, 396

Phanerogams, 343, 346, 348

Phasianella, 243

Pheasant Shell, 243

Phleum, 397

Phocæna, 340

Pholadidæ, 199, 255

Pholadidea, 201

Pholas, 200

Phosphorescence, 18, 111

Phyllirhoidæ, 286

Phyllophora, 365

Piddocks, 200

Pilchard, 322

Pileopsis, 241

Pilota, 361

Pimplet, 150

Pinna, 221

Pinna Pea-crab, 290

Pinnotheres, 290

Pipe-fishes, 328

Plaice, 325

Plantaginaceæ, 408, 424

Plantago, 408

Plants, classification, 343, 347

Plate-gilled Molluscs, 191

Pleuronectes, 326

Pleuronectidæ, 324

Plocamium, 61, 366

Plumbaginaceæ, 408, 424

Poa, 396

Podded Sea-oak, 388

Podophthalmata, 266, 269, 304

Pogge, 335

Pollack, 327

Polybius, 293

Polycarpon, 413

Polychæta, 177

Polygala, 416

Polygalaceæ, 416, 426

Polygonaceæ, 404, 424

Polygonum, 404

Polypetalæ, 403

Polypogon, 397

Polysiphonia, 372

Polystomata, 115

Polyzoa, 188

Porcelain Crab, 280

Porcellana, 280

Porifera, 115

Porphyra, 355

Porpoise, 339

Portland Spurge, 403

Portunus, 292

Prawn, 44, 278

Preservation of marine objects, 71

Preservatives, 72

Prickly Cockle, 215

Prickly Salt-wort, 407

Primulaceæ, 424

Prosobranchiata, 232, 236

Protophyta, 343, 347

Protoplasm, 102

Protoplasta, 104, 110

Protozoa, 102

-- classification, 104

Psammobia, 208

Pteropoda, 230, 255

Pulmonifera, 255

Punctaria, 383

Puncturella, 241

Purple Spurge, 403

Purple-tipped Urchin, 168

Purpura, 249

Pycnogonum, 293

Pyramidellidæ, 246, 255

Radiata, 140

Radiolaria, 104, 110

Ragworm, 40, 179

Raiidæ, 318

Ranunculaceæ, 422, 426

Raphanus, 420

Rays, 318

Red Mullets, 338

Red-specked Pimplet, 150

Reptilia, 307

Reseda, 417

Resedaceæ, 417, 426

Rhizocarpeæ, 345, 348

Rhizopods, 104

Rhizostoma, 136

Rhodomela, 372

Rhodomelaceæ, 372, 390

Rhodophyllis, 61

Rhodospermeæ, 350, 355, 389

Rhodymenia, 61, 365, 367

Rhodymeniaceæ, 365, 389

Rhombus, 326

Rhynchota, 297, 305

Rissoa, 244

Rock-fishes, 46

Rocklings, 328

Rock-pools, 6, 31

Rosy Anemone, 149

Rosy Feather Star, 160

Rotifers, 189

Rushes, 400

Rytiphlæa, 375

Sabella, 184

Saddle Oyster, 222

Sagartia, 146

Sagina, 416

Salicornia, 407

Salmo, 321

Salmon, 321

Salmon Dace, 339

Salmonidæ, 321

Salsola, 407

Salt-wort, 407

Sand Eels, 326

Sandhoppers, 268

-- preserving, 81

Sand Smelts, 332

Sandworm, 178

Saxicava, 203

Scalaria, 244

Scallops, 222

Scentless Mayweed, 411

Schizopoda, 304

Schizymenia, 61, 364

Scirpus, 399

Scomber, 337

Scomberidæ, 337

Scorpionidæ, 304

Scorpion Spider-crab, 289

Scurvy Grass, 419

Scylliidæ, 319

Scyllium, 319

Sea angling, 34

-- Aster, 410

-- Buckthorn, 403

-- Bullheads, 335

-- Bream, 338

-- Campion, 415

-- Carrot, 411

-- Cat, 334

-- Cat's-tail Grass, 397

-- Cucumbers, 169

-- Devil, 336

-- Eggs, 165

-- -- preserving, 79

-- Girdles, 384

-- Grass, 61, 353, 400

-- Hard-grass, 395

-- Holly, 412

-- Kale, 420

-- Lavender, 409

-- Lemons, 233

-- Lettuce, 61

-- Loach, 328

-- Lyme-grass, 395

-- Mallow, 415

-- Mat, 188

-- Meadow Grass, 396

-- Mouse, 179

-- Pearl-wort, 416

-- Perch, 338

-- Pill-ball, 268

-- Pink, 408

-- Purslane, 406, 416

-- Radish, 420

-- Reed, 396

-- Rocket, 420

-- Rushes, 400

-- Salt, 17, 59

-- Saltness of, 17

-- Samphire, 411

-- Sand-wort, 415

-- Sedge, 398

-- Slater, 268

-- Slugs, 233

-- Snails, 331

-- Spurge, 403

-- Squirts, 188

-- Stock, 418

-- Stork's-bill, 414

-- Urchins, 157, 165

-- -- preserving, 79

-- -- shell of, 166

-- teeth, 167

-- water, artificial, 59

-- composition, 59

-- weeds, 343

-- -- classification, 389

-- -- preserving, 86

-- Wormwood, 410

Seaside Arrow Grass, 401

-- Bindweed, 409

-- Cottonweed, 410

-- Feverfew, 411

-- Grasses, 392

-- Knot Grass, 404

-- Plantain, 408

-- plants, 391

-- classification, 423

Section cutting, 96

Sedges, 398

Selaginellales, 345, 348

Sepia, 253

Sepiadæ, 253, 255

Sepiola, 252

Serpula, 185

Serranidæ, 338

Serrated Pill-ball, 268

Serrated Wrack, 386

Sertularia, 128

Sessile-eyed crustaceans, 266

Shanny, 333

Sharks, 318

Shells, preserving, 83

Shore Crab, 261, 291

-- Spider, 293

Shrimps, 278

-- preserving, 81

Shrubby Mignonette, 417

Silene, 415

Silicia, 122

Siphonaceæ, 358, 389

Siphonida, 198, 255

Siphonostomata, 236, 247, 255

Six-rayed Sponges, 119

Skates, 318

Slender-beaked Crab, 289

Sloke, 61, 355

Smelt, 321

Smooth Hound, 320

Snoods, 37

Solanaceæ, 409, 424

Solanum, 409

Soldier Crab, 280

Sole, 326

Solea, 326

Solecurtus, 207

Solenidæ, 255

Sparidæ, 338

Spartina, 397

Sparus, 338

Spergularia, 415

Sphacelaria, 279

Sphærococcoideæ, 366, 390

Sphærococcus, 366

Sphæroma, 268

Spicules, 118

Spider Crabs, 288

Spike Rush, 399

Spiny-finned fishes, 329

Spirorbis, 187

Sponges, 115

Spongiocarpeæ, 390

Spoon Worms, 176

Sporochnaceæ, 385, 390

Sporochnus, 385

Spotted Dogfish, 320

Spotted Hog-louse, 268

Spout Shell, 245

Sprats, 323

Spring-tails, 299

Spurges, 403

Spyridia, 363

Spyridiaceæ, 368, 389

Squamariæ, 390

Squid, 252

Squirt Worms, 176

Stalk-eyed crustaceans, 266, 269

Starfishes, 157

-- preserving, 79

Stargazers, 336

Statice, 408

Stenorhynchus, 289

Sticklebacks, 331

Stilophora, 383

Sting Bull, 337

Sting Fish, 335

Stock, 418

Stomopoda, 269, 304

Stone Crab, 280

Strawberry Beadlet, 142

Sucker Fishes, 330

Sweet Alyssum, 419

Swimming Crab, 293

Sycon, 121

Syngnathidæ, 328

Syngnathus, 329

Tamariscaceæ, 413, 425

Tamarisk, 413

Tangles, 384

Tapes, 211

Tealia, 143

Tectibranchiata, 238, 255

Tectibranchs, 236

Teleostomi, 318, 320

Tellina, 208

Tellinidæ, 207, 255

Terebella, 181

Terebratulina, 225

Teredo, 201

Tetrabranchiata, 255

Thalictrum, 421

Thallophytes, 343, 344, 347

Trichoptera, 305

Thornback Crab, 289

Thracia, 204

Thrift, 408

Thuiaria, 132

Thysanoptera, 298, 305

Tides, 9

Tooth shells, 238

Top shells, 243

Trachinidæ, 336

Trachinus, 337

Treacle Mustard, 418

Tree Mallow, 415

Trefoil, 413

Trifolium, 413

Triglochin, 401

Triopa, 235

Tritonia, 235

Tritoniadæ, 235

Trivia, 248

Trochus, 243

Trumpet Anemone, 141

Tubularia, 132

Tunicates, 188

Turbellaria, 175

Turbinidæ, 243, 255

Turbot, 326

Turkey-feather Laver, 382

Turret shells, 245

Turritella, 244

Turritellidæ, 244, 255

Twin-bladder Wrack, 387

Two-spotted Sucker, 331

Ulva, 61, 354

Ulvaceæ, 389, 354

Umbelliferæ, 411, 425

Umbilicus, 226

Umbo, 193

Vascular cryptogams, 345

Velutina, 247

Velvet Crab, 292

Veneridæ, 210, 255

Venus, 210

Vermes, 172

Vertebrates, 306

Vetch, 413

Vicia, 413

Viola, 417

Violaceæ, 417, 426

Violet Fiddler, 292

Water Ferns, 345

Weavers, 336

Wedge shells, 208

Whales, 340

Wheel animals, 189

Whelks, 248

Whirl Worms, 175

Whistle Fish, 328

Whitebait, 323

White Salmon, 339

Whiting, 327

Wild Cabbage, 418

Wild Celery, 412

Wing shells, 219

Wolf Fish, 334

Woody Nightshade, 409

Worms, 172

-- parasitic, 174

Worm Pipe-fish, 329

Wrangeliaceæ, 389

Wrasses, 329

Xantho, 292

Xylophaga, 201

Yellow Poppy, 420

Zeus, 338

Zoantharia, 138

Zoarces, 333

Zonaria, 382

Zostera, 353, 400

_Printed in England at_ THE BALLANTYNE PRESS SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE & CO. LTD. _Colchester, London & Eton_

Transcriber's Note

Minor inconsistencies in the punctuation of tables or captions are silently corrected.

Hyphenation is variable. Those compound words which are hyphenated only on line breaks are rendered using modern usage.

The word 'movable' appears only once as 'moveable' (165), which is retained.

The index entry for 'Œpophilus' is considered to be an error. All instances of the word appear in the text as 'Æpophilus'. This has been corrected and moved to the appropriate alphabetic position.

The following corrections were made to obvious printer's errors,

devel[e/o]ped (336); co[n/m]posed (364);

The following list contains punctuation corrections made:

p. 65 one of them[.] Added.

p. 255 [Class] =LAMELLIBRANCHIATA= Added to match other entries.

p. 257 their tendencies[,/.] Corrected.

p. 292 low-water[-]mark Unhyphenated elsewhere.

p. 340 [(]_Cetacea_) Added.

p. 390 in firm gelatine[,/.] Corrected.

p. 403 by its stipuled leaves[.] Added.

p. 434 Rhodospermeæ, 350, 355, 38[9] Added.