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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of the gorgonias; sea fans in purple splendor; coral heads of gold 

 and green; great splotches of colored sponges encrusting the rocks; 

 the soft seaweeds; here and there deep channels with nothing but the 

 clear water and the white sand beneath it ; and in and out among this 

 maze of growing things, the graceful, noiseless fishes in such array of 

 colors as is scarcely credible, much less describable. I believe it may 

 be truly said that one who has never seen such a tropical sea-garden 



Fig. 23. Bermuda Lobster. About ]£ natural size. 



can not have the remotest idea of its charm. There was only one 

 consideration that could reconcile me to the wanton work of collect- 

 ing these beautiful things and robbing them of all their native charm ; 

 that was the fact that, work as diligently as we might, we could not 

 deface one in a thousand of these fascinating spots. I think there 

 w no other single experience I would willingly exchange for this; 

 and yet I recall one other, of a somewhat different nature, that made a 



