SPONGES 



suddenly I rerealized what I had known in the 

 first place but had forgotten in the vividness of 

 the mountain vision — that the whole landscape 

 was alive, animal, sponge. One of the cave mouths 

 abruptly drew its lips together and blew forth a 

 current of water, this being made visible by the 

 smoke-like motes floating in it. I should not have 

 been surprised to see the pensive, lonely eyes of 

 the last "reluctant dragon" appear, looking wist- 

 fully about for his small boy friend. Scientifically, 

 the sight of the cave mouth pursing its lips is an 

 observation of considerable interest, for muscles of 

 any kind in the integument of sponges are prac- 

 tically unknown. 



I scattered a pinch of carmine dust upon the 

 water and all the inner activities of my hillside 

 were revealed — each little pothole frantically suck- 

 ing in its mead of food-laden water, while now and 

 then the accumulated flood was washed out of 

 the communal channel. 



In a book of ancient yarns, written over six 

 centuries ago, somewhere about 1300, a Spaniard 

 offers a prescription of toasted sponge for use in 

 troubles of the throat. And again and again 

 through the middle ages chirurgeons prescribed the 

 bath sponge as a cure for croup. In one of the 

 most modern and authoritative medical volumes, 

 we read: 



*' Before the discovery of iodine, roasted or burnt 

 sponge was generally used in the treatment of 

 goiter and also croup, with excellent results in 



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