14 LIVING CREATURES. 



the Bahamas. The second kind includes the zimocca 

 of the Mediterranean, and the yellow, or hard-head 

 sponges of American waters. These are all dense, 

 thick, and hard. The third kind is the finest, softest, 

 and most delicate of all, and is the Turkish toilet 

 sponge. 



The men in the boat are supposed to be fishing with 

 a five-pronged spear or harpoon. The water must be 

 very quiet to enable them to see their game fifty or 

 sixty feet below the surface. The most ancient way 

 of getting sponges was by diving. To this method 

 the Greek sponge-fishers were trained from childhood. 

 The diver had a stone slab fastened to his feet, and 

 the end of a long rope tied about his waist. A net, 

 or game-bag, to hold the sponges, was hung from his 

 neck. When he reached the bottom, he snatched all 

 the sponges he could see and quickly grasp ; then he 

 pulled on his rope to announce that he was ready, and 

 was lifted to the boat. Sometimes, after descending 

 to the depth of a hundred feet or more, the diver 

 would reach the surface in a swoon and bleeding at 

 the nose. 



One method by which sponges are now gathered is 

 by dredging or scraping the bottom of the shallow sea- 

 coast with a net. The Greeks, however, use the div- 

 ing dress. This, in appearance, is something like the 

 ancient coat of mail. It is air-tight and incloses the 

 whole body, covering the head in a helmet in which 

 are windows for the eyes to look through. This 

 helmet is joined by a rubber hose which reaches to a 

 boat on the 'surface of the water. A pump forces 

 fresh air through the hose to the diver below. 



