Q2 THE WORLD OF THE SEA. 
When dry, the branches, always slender and delicate, resemble 
the barbs of a feather. The colour is of a deep black, inclining 
to brown. Under the microscope, or with a powerful lens, the 
ends of the branches appear covered with small spines, and the 
Ny | 
! Wn Hi \. 
All] 
AN ANTIPATHES, MAGNIFIED TO SHOW THE SPINES. 
(Antipathes subpinnita.) 
trunk is formed of oval, irregular, concentric beds, which are zones 
of growth. Its consistence is so firm that it can be worked up 
for chaplets of pearls and other bijouterie. It is known in com- 
merce as Black coral. The bark is soft, not possessing calcareous 
or siliceous matter, and decays when the coral is dead. Its polypes 
are long, and generally yellow. 
