A BUSY SKELETON. 13 



that they were handling a skeleton. Ordinarily a skel- 

 eton is considered a disagreeable thing for a compan- 

 ion ; but the sponge is a skeleton as truly as if it were 

 the naked bones of a fish or a cat. And this starts 

 up another thought about the sponge. Our work in 

 the world must be done while we are alive ; after we 

 die, our bones are useless. The sponge, while it lives, 

 does no work except tp take its food. When it dies 

 its usefulness begins. Then it is that its skeleton, not 

 only in the school-room, but in many of the world's 

 arts, becomes a busy, useful, durable helper. 



It may now occur to the reader who has never be- 

 fore thought of it, that the natural history of the 

 sponge may be even more interesting than its school 

 history. What is the sponge ? will be an attractive 

 question to answer, after describing the different kinds 

 of sponges and how they are obtained. 



The men in the picture represent Dalmatians. They 

 are fishing for sponges. From these hints it is easy 

 to conclude that sponges live in water, and in a par- 

 ticular body of water which may be found by consult- 

 ing the map. Do not, however, rashly conclude that 

 sponges are fishes. Oysters and pearls are said to be 

 ' 'fished," yet no one should really think they are 

 fishes. 



There are sponges which live in fresh water, but 

 they are not the kind which we are now speaking of. 

 The useful sponges come from the shores of the Med- 

 iterranean and Red seas, from the Florida coast, and 

 from the Bahama Islands. There are three principal 

 kinds of sponges that are gathered for sale. The large 

 horse or bath sponge is from the Mediterranean and 



