I offer these chapters to the reader as possibly affording to him, as their revision has to me, a welcome escape, when health demands it, from the immense and inexorable obsession of warfare. The several chapters have been selected from articles entitled "Science from an Easy Chair" written in recent years by me for the "Daily Telegraph." Under that title I have already published two volumes of similar selections. I have chosen a new title, "Diversions of a Naturalist," for this third volume in order to avoid confusion with the earlier ones. Illustrative drawings have been introduced into several of the articles and a few alterations made in the text. But they remain essentially what their origin implies--namely, detached essays addressed to a wide public. I wish to thank my friend Dr. Smith Woodward of the Natural History Museum for the figures 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, illustrating Chapter X, and also to thank Messrs. Veitch for the use of figures 33, 34, 35, 40, and 42. I have copied figures 4 to 8, 11, 19, and 20 from the drawings made by Philip Henry Gosse, F.R.S., and published by him in that wonderful little book "Marine Zoology," now long out of print. I have also borrowed my frontispiece from the book on "The Aquarium" by that great naturalist and lover of the seashore. Many beautiful coloured plates of marine animals executed by his skilful hand are to be found in that and other works published by him. E. R. L. 16 _June_ 1915 CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. ON A NORWEGIAN FIORD 1 II. NATURE-RESERVES 13 III. FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD 23 IV. THE GREAT GREY SEAL 32 V. THE GROUSE AND OTHER BIRDS 41 VI. THE SAND AND PEBBLES OF THE SEASHORE 48 VII. THE CONSTITUENTS OF A SEABEACH 55 VIII. QUICKSANDS AND FIRE-STONES 64 IX. AMBER 70 X. SEA-WORMS AND SEA-ANEMONES 77 XI. CORAL-MAKERS AND JELLY-FISH 88 XII. SHRIMPS, CRABS, AND BARNACLES 98 XIII. BARNACLES AND OTHER CRUSTACEANS 108 XIV. THE HISTORY OF THE BARNACLE AND THE GOOSE 117 XV. MORE AS TO THE BARNACLE AND THE GOOSE 129 XVI. SEA-SHELLS ON THE SEASHORE 142 XVII. SAND-HOPPERS 152 XVIII. A SWISS INTERLUDE 160 XIX. SCIENCE AND DANCING 170 XX. COURTSHIP 180 XXI. COURTSHIP IN ANIMALS AND MAN 189