ON THE SEASHORE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3525, 4 October 1921, Page 62

ON THE SEASHORE.

EDITII lIOWES’ DISCOVERIES.

By

CONSTANT READER.

The schools have just commenced the last term _ of the year and soon the children will be thinking about the Christmas holidays. A very large number of New Zealand children spend their summei holidays by the sea-side, at one or other of the beautiful resorts in which the coastline of the dominion abounds. Anything, therefore, which adds to the attractions of the sea-shore and which by discovering new delights invests the reck pools by the sea-side with fresh interest for boys and girls alike confers an immeasurable benefit upon our young nationhood. As an antidote to many of the powerful but pernicious influences at work upon the minds and imaginations of the young people of to-day. no better prescription can he found than the new book winch, under the title of “The Singing lush,” Miss Edith Howes has just published. Tn her previous books Miss Howes has not only established herself as an accurate observer of the wonders of Nature, she has also displayed a genius for. recording scientific fact in a fashion which makes an i'’resistible appeal to children of all ages. Scarce a home is to be found in the dominion—and the slat'merit applies very largely to Australia, in which ;;rv n ’ s nabies,” “Bainbcw Children,” and “The Cradle Ship” are not amongst the uG'-r treasured possessions of the family, not lightly read and cast aside but books returned to again and again with avidity and eagerness. As school-prizes, also, these nature study story books cannot be surpassed and the wisdom of circulating literature of this sort is one of the strongest arguments in favour of a general resumption of the time-honou■ c-d practice of prize-giving unavoidably interrupted by the war. Clitics nny be found inclined to argue that, in “Tire Siiuring Pish” Miss Howes ir not entirely original since in ‘ The Water Babies ’ Charles KingsNy worked out the same idea.. To suggest anything like plagiarism is quite a superficial view, and it breaks down utterly upon examination. It js true that the fairies'turned l orn the Chimney-sweep into a, water-baby, and that Kingsley made use of the story to describe some of the wonders to be seen under the sea; but Kingsley was not a naturalist but only a storyteller and not a wry good story-writer for children either, as any boy or girl who struggles to the end of ‘’The Water Babies” wi'l most emphatically declare. “The Water Babies” was first published in 1863 but more than 10 years earlier Philip Konrv Gosse had published “A Naturalist’s Rambles on the Devonshire Coast.” a book which led Kingsley to correspond with Gosse, and to ivriirh the noveli.-r .was indebted for as much of natural history as appeared in his story. In that racy chronicle “Father and Son,” _Mr Edmond O osse describes r| j° ;: -i oliorniinpY t.ho coi;d:i:on nndor which the invivstifrations whirl; formed the subject rrmttfT of “A X-iturGist’s (Rambles” and t:;e otner subsequent books, were carried on. One ebaraotensi ie pa-sage runs: — It was down on fhe shore, tramping along the pebbled terraces of the beach, clambering over the great blocks of fallen conglomerate which broke the whole curve with rufous promentnries that jutted into the sea, _ or, finally bending over those shallow tidal pools in the limestone rocks which were our proper hunting grounds—it was in such circumstances as these that uiy Father became most easy, most happimost human. . . These pools were our mirrors, in which, reflected in the dark hyaline and framed by the sleek and shilling fronds of oar-weed, there used to appear the shapes of a middle-aged man and a funny little boy. equally eager, and, I almost find the presumption to say, I equally well prepared for business. if any one goes down to those shores now, if man or boy seeks to follow in our traces, let him r aliy at once, before lie takes the trouble co roll up his sleeves, that his zeal. will end in labour lost. There is nothing, now. where :n our days there was so much. Then the rocks between tide and tide were submarine guldens of a beauty that seemed often to be fabulous, and v. as positively delusive, since,, it we delicately lifted the weed curtains of a v.indles- pool, though we might for a moment see its sides and floor paved with living blossoms, ivory-white, rosy-red, orange and amethyst, yet all that panoply would melt away, furled into the hollow rock, if we so much as dropped a pebble in to disturb the magic dream. •Mr Edmund Gosse describes the way in which his father worked “in his most desperate escapades,” wading “breast high into one of the huge pools.” When as much had been Collected as they could carry away, tire prizes placed in jars of salt water and deposited in “an immense square basket, the creak of whose handles I can still fancy that I hear,” were dragged up “the long climb home.” As a result of all this patient, but persevering research Philip Henry Gosse produced a series of books, intended mainly for the scientist, and read only by a limited section of the public. It is well to contrast the work of Miss Howes. Having the advantages of a virtually unexplored and virgin realm in the rock pools of the New Zealand coast, and possessed not only with the spirit of scientific research, but also of sufficient knowledge to turn it to good account, she has the gift of unfolding the delights of her discoveries in such a winning way us to fascinate the child mind. To adequately appreciate the work Miss Howes is doing, and lias done, it is no mere hyperbole to describe it as a combination of Gosse and Kingsley, with the venue changed from England to New Zealand. When I up got out on the wrong .fide of bed on that fateful morning and the mischief fairy got to work, he said to Nome: “i'ui eighr. And I'm a boy. You're only a gill: von shan’t pln.v with me.” ’! made (he Mischief Fairy so “<)n!y a hi. indeed ! i little bully.” she cried, shaking her wand threateningly at I q>. ' 1 ■.•.oi : .i•:■■-?i yiri for that. \ | . .j; i r, ! il!v ■i li v"U ha on ;f o.i o. . ■ ■ i i : ids :.T I how' a, M oak to ,i.i n .. I. • I. IMG ff In on in-; aul 'up v. ~s no. There was a liny sjil tsh in a poo! near by. but i:':i hmc ‘To broke the .-ileno-e, and no Tup stood where Tup hail stood. In the clear water lay one of those little * “ Tin- Singing F:,h.” liy T-Viuh Tfiuvr.-; with four illustrations in colour t-y Flon-noc Mary 1',.., Ltd. Pun diu: Wliiiouinbi and Tombs, (os

froklen-brown fishes that swim about in tj l ® rock—pools that the New Zealand children call “cock-a-bullies.” Nonio dissolved into tears at the fat* l of poor lup, and pleaded with the fairy; but the only mitigation granted was that Nome was provided with a fairy submarine, in which, when submerged, she was able to watch over Tup and protect him from the enemies which threaten the life and safety of a defenceless cock-a-bully. For, as the hairy finally declared, “A bully he ie and a bully he must remain till he knows better.” The perils of Tup and the watchful care exercised over him by Nonie from the safo vantage of her submarine make matter for some great adventures under tlie sea. Many wonderful creatures are encountered, includb'g ihe pen ■•’inkle, the seaweed crab, tho butterfly-chi ton, the prawn, the big-crab, and the hermit crab. Every now and the 4< Ihe Singing Fisn ” appears and enlivens anil enlightens the adventurers with a ditty such as this: Big crabs, little crabs-, crabs that hunt the shore. And crabs that follow down the tidal track; Swimming crabs,, spider crabs that walk the sandy floor, And the crab that grows the seaweed on his back. Blue crabs, red crabs, crabs with purple claws, Mighty crabs of speckled white and black; Modest little grey crabs with blue about their jaws, And the crab that grows the seaweed on his back. Bold crabs, shy crabs, crabs that steal a shell, Grabs pretending death when foes attack; But the- cleverest of ail--it’s a trick that serves him well— Is the ciab that grows the seaweed on his back. Ii Miss Ilovves be accused of borrowing the idea of the Singing Fish, who is really a fairy from the ringing Fairy in “'The Vv a ter Babies, there is no comparison in the songs they sing. The Singing Fish’s ditties have a lilt and a swing that will impress them on the memory and in time make them as popular as the songs in a Gilbert and Suiiivan opera. !: is not necessary to attempt, to follow Tup and Nonio in their extraordinary encounter with tho star fish, t lie chiton, the limpet, the anemone, the turbo, the wicked “purple,” the tube-worm, the baby octopus, iho sea-slug, the suckerfish, the botiiestar, the jelly fish, the whelk, 1 lie rock-oysters, ancl the barnacle, to mention a few of tho sea creatures wh > 0 appearance is accurately described in the>o nages, together with an account of their habits and structure, and all without in any way spoiling the story. One of the best of the songs sung by the “Singing Fish”— there are many of them, and they are all good—relates the sad and sorrowful history of the Barnacle Baby: You mustn’t sit down on the rocks, the rocks, And stay there the rest of your life. It’s better by far to take tho world’s knocks, And mingle each day in its strife. The Barnacle Baby roamed far in the sea. Pie swam at a wonderful rate, lie worked for his living and fought for his tea. And might have become really great. But Barnacle Baby sat down on a rock, And never again roamed he. And now his appearance would give you a shock; Oh, sad such a downfall should be! For gone are his feelers, his legs, and Ilia eyes, He is helpless and stupid and blind, II s old swimming life with its ways quick and wise Is now left for ever behind. The. parts he won’t use have dwindled away; He i. 3 glued by a tube from liis head; "With his claws he can clutch, in his tube lie can sway. That is all lie can do till he’s dead! No more the fierce fight through the marvellous seal No growing up now to be great! Ho is fat and consented, nor longs to be free, Nor knows how disgraceful his fate. So you mustn’t sit down on the tlio rocks, And stay there the rest of your 1 . It’s bet or by far to take the world’s knocks, And mingle each day in its strife. Of course line story has a happy ending, but what that ending actually is must i.o left for the readers of “The Singing Fish” to discover. “Ihe sea is wonderful by day, but it is still more wondetful by nig! it. There is no end to ill its wonder and its mystery.” Miss Ilovves lias unlocked a part or the wonder and unveiled a good deal of the mystery of the sea in the fascinating pages of her latest book, which bids fair to be more popular than anything she yet has written—and of course there tire other books to follow. There may be wot days in the coming holidays, but there will be no more dull days, or idle days or quarrelsome days if father and mother are wise enough to see that a. copy of “The Singing Kish” goes ■with them to the seaside, which thanks to the revelations in tho pages of the book, will henceforth be a place of continual discovery and ever-increasing delight. We congratulate Miss Howes on her work, and the children of New Zealand on having such a friend. The book is strongly bound and attractively printed, and is illustrated with four illustrations in colour by Florence Mary Anderson.