2O LIVING CREATURES. 



the tentacles fold in like the petals of a morning-glory, 

 and close the mouth. 



From the food which it takes, the soft part of the 

 polyp is grown, and the hard part, or coral, is pro- 

 duced precisely as our flesh and bones are made from 



the things we eat. Only, in 

 the case of the coral animal, 

 too much of the stony bone 

 is produced, and the living 

 polyp is constantly growing 

 up, and leaving the hard skel- 

 eton behind as a dead stem. 

 A bud puts forth near the 

 base of the polyp, and soon 

 another animal blossoms out 



Red Coral Magnified. w j th petals Qr tentades 



So the budding and blossoming of these flower-ani- 

 mals goes on until many polyps, together with the 

 dead stems of coral that support them, make a branch 

 like the twig of a tree ; or they crowd into a clump 

 like a half-round stone, or a plum-pudding. One of 

 these clump-like corals covers its surface with starry 

 flower forms. Another appears like a round mass of 

 human brains, and is called brain-coral. 



PART 2. 



How the beautiful corals of the Mediterranean Sea 

 get their delicate pink, and rich, red tints, can not be 

 known, as no one can tell how roses acquire their 

 charming colors. By growing stems or skeletons of 

 such fine texture and attractive hues, coral polyps may 



