88 



ZOOLOGY. 



the sea. The reefs are often of great thickness, for, a* 

 Dana says, " could we raise one of these coral-bound island* 

 from the waves, we should find that the reefs stand upon 



the submarine slopes, like massy structures of artificial 

 masonry ; some forming a broad flat platform or shelf 

 ranging, around the land, and others encircling it like vast 



