Bow CORAL onows. 147 



Hie openings were so small that they would scarcely allow th 

 point of a needle to enter, far leas a polyp to live and grow 

 there; and it afforded in ogr view, the most beautiful 

 exhibition of mineral growth that could possibly be seen. 

 Tin; forms of the centres resembled the figures of snow flakes, 

 which is another furm of mineral growth, or crystallization, 

 only they were on a much smaller scale. On being broken, 

 the coral split in vertical layers, and showed the star cavities to 

 continue in long unbroken lines from the top to the bottom of 

 the piece. The only sign of life about it was a number of 

 worm holes circling tnrough it made by the borer. 



Coral is only a form of mineral growth, and it as surely 

 grows in equatorial waters by natural law, as a tree grows on 

 the surface of the ground. The coral insect is merely a parasite 

 of the coral, just as the cochineal is a parasite of the cactus ; 

 end it would be as correct to say, that the one formed the plant, 

 as that the other formed the -coral. 



We have already explained how the lead tree is grown 

 by suspending a piece of zinc in a solution of sugar of lead, thf 

 formation and growth of the coral is by a similar process. 



Coral is composed of material having all the properties of 

 vegetable matter. In th-e equatorial latitudes, vegetable mate- 

 rial is most abundant ; the waters, therefore, must also be 

 largely permeated with similar matter. This agrees with the 

 popular theory, for it is acknowledged that the material for 

 producing the coral is in the water, and that it is taken from 

 thence by the insect, and laid with mathematical precision and 

 artistic taste on the fabric. But if we can show how the 

 material may be drawn together without any animal aid what- 



