England, in the building and handling of sea-planes has come well to the fore, and our machines are more advanced than those of other countries. The Admiralty has recognised that, acting as a coastal scout in time of war, such craft would be of the utmost value; thus we find air-stations dotted round our seaboard, from which machines may fly in a regular patrol. By the employment of hundreds of craft, operating upon a well-ordered plan, it will be possible in the future to girdle our shores completely; and such machines would not only spy out the approach of an enemy’s fleet, but give battle to hostile aeroplanes or airships which might seek to pass inland. The type of machine we have just described was a biplane, but there are monoplane sea-craft, and a Bleriot fitted for alighting upon the water is shown in Fig. 69. [Illustration: FIG. 69.--A Bleriot Sea-plane.] Another form of craft is being developed successfully--the flying boat. This is not merely a land aeroplane with floats instead of wheels; it is a boat with a sea-going hull, which has lifting planes upon it; and it assumes the distinctive form seen in Fig. 70. When on the surface of the water the machine floats like a ship; then, when driven rapidly across the surface, its planes raise it into the air and it flies. A closer view of the hull of such a craft is given in Fig. 71. Flying boats are at present small and lightly built, and they have difficulty in weathering rough waves when floating upon the water; but already the tendency is to make them larger, and to give them more powerful motors, and such machines for naval work, as developed in the future, may be as large as a torpedo-boat-destroyer and capable of high speeds both on water and in the air. [Illustration: THE MACHINE SEEN FROM ABOVE, showing the shape of wings and tail, and the positions of the pilot and passenger within the hull. A. Hull; B. seats for crew; C.C. Planes; D. Motor; E. Propeller; F. Rudder; G. Elevators. MACHINE SEEN FROM IN FRONT, showing the span of the main-planes, and the curve of the boat-shaped hull. FIG. 70.--A Flying Boat.] [Illustration: FIG. 71.--The hull of a Flying-Boat. A. Pilot’s seat and controlling wheel; B. Passenger’s seat; C. Movable flap to facilitate entering the hull; D. Handle, like that of a car, for starting the engine; E. The engine; F.F. Fuel tanks; G. The propeller.]