356 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE CHAP, 
upwards of 6 feet in height, has more than 
once been met with. Sponges are numerous, 
and often very beautiful. The now well 
known Euplectella, ““ Venus’s Flower-basket,” 
resembles an exquisitely delicate fabric woven 
in spun silk; it is in the form of a gracefully 
curved tube, expanding slightly upwards and 
ending in an elegant frill. The wall is formed 
of parallel bands of glassy siliceous fibres, 
crossed by others at right angles, so as to 
form a square meshed net. These sponges 
are anchored on the fine ooze by wisps of 
glassy filaments, which often attain a con- 
siderable length. Many of these beautiful 
organisms, moreover, glow when alive with 
a soft diffused light, flickering and sparkling 
at every touch. What would one not give 
to be able to wander a while in these wonder- 
ful regions ! 
It is curious that no plants, so far as we 
know, grow in the depths of the Ocean, or, 
indeed, as far as our present information goes, 
at a greater depth than about 100 fathoms. 
As regards the nature of the bottom itself, 
it is in the neighbourhood of land mainly 
