THE MUSEUM. 



109 



sand which the elements have ground 

 from the coral, and, at length a soil is 

 formed which is capable of sustaining 

 vegetable life. Then seeds of some 

 hardy plant are transported thither. 

 They may be carried in the stomach 

 of birds, or blown by the wind, or drift- 

 ed by marine currents; but they reach 

 the island and germinate, and, in a 

 brief period, under the influence of a 

 tropical climate, the island teems with 

 vegetable life. Ne.xt, birds flock to its 

 shores, for breeding purposes, and re- 

 main to live. Various amphibia are 

 .attracted thither. Insects and birds 

 less powerful of wing are blown by 

 winds from neighboring islands and 

 find a refuge. And, finally, certain 

 mammals may be and sometimes are, 

 drifted by the sea currents to these is- 

 lands. Thus, by the slow action of 

 nature, the islands eventually become 

 populated. 



Often coral islands, instead of sur- 

 rounding empty lagoons, encircle is- 

 lands. In this case, although their 

 ; method of formation is the same, they 

 are termed coral reefs. If they occur 

 near the shore, they are called fringing 

 reefs; and, if distant, the name of 

 ■ harries reefs has been given to them. 

 : Some of the barrier reefs are of im- 

 mense extent. Thus, along the north- 

 east coast of Australia, there is a chain 

 of barrier reefs, e.xtending, in an almost 

 unbroken line, for a distance of twelve 

 hundred miles. In but few places is 

 this reef more than thirty miles distant 

 from the shore. The water in the 

 channel between the reef and the shore 

 is seldom more than one hundred and 

 fifty feet deep; but, outside the 

 reef it suddenly deepens to nearly 

 twelve thousand feet. Within the 

 channel the largest ship might sail, for 



more than one thousand miles within 

 sight of land on either side; and, in 

 fact it would be next to impossible for 

 it to leave the channel until its end was 

 reached. 



From the fact that the coral islands 

 are constantly increasing in size and 

 number, the statement has been made, 

 that, in the course of time, the South 

 Pacific Islands will be united and form 

 a vast continent; and, that, when man 

 has, by his extravagance, wasted the 

 resourses which the world now offers 

 him, the new continent will be ready 

 for his occupancy. As a poetical sen- 

 timent, or a moral reflection, it is a 

 beautiful idea; but it is one that can 

 never be realized. Even were there no 

 physical conditions to prevent, there is 

 not enough lime on the whole face of 

 the globe to form the basis of such a 

 mass of coral. Neither is such an 

 event desirable; for a country with but 

 a single kind of soil, without minerals 

 other than lime without metals, lying 

 so near the level of the sea, with little 

 or no chance for drainage, and no 

 change of scenery or climate, does not 

 offer any peculiar advantages to the 

 civilization of the present day. 



On the Preparation of Mammal 

 Skins for Study. 



For the study of mammals a collec- 

 tion of specimens is not only desirable 

 but is indispensable. Before a mam- 

 mal is in any shape to be used as a 

 specimen of a certain species, it will be 

 necessary to spend sometime in its pre- 

 paration. The collector will have .to 

 practice great care from the time he 

 goes into the field until he lays the pre- 

 pared specimen in the cabinet. 



Among the many reasons for always 

 making up a neat specimen, we wish to 



