COEALS. 129 



Organs it has none at least, none that have as yet 

 been detected. There seem to be no tentacles for 

 inducing currents of water to pass over its surface, no 

 mouths for the admission of food, no digestive organs, 

 no nerves, and no muscles. 



Still, in some way to us unknown, this shapeless and 

 apparently inorganic film is able to assume a definite 

 form, to separate from the sea-water the calcareous 

 particles which are floating in it, and to build them up 

 into the beautifully elaborate arrangement of hard, stony 

 plates which is shown in the figure as well as the art of 

 the draughtsman and engraver can transfer it to paper. 

 It is prepared in 



" the unknown abyss 



" Of Nature's laboratory, where she hides 

 Her deeds from every eye except her Maker's." 



It might seem that when once the stony particles 

 were deposited and arranged, they must be out of the 

 control of the creature that separated them from the 

 sea-water. But careful investigations have shown that 

 the earthy matter is deposited in the substance of the 

 film, and that its particles can not only be deposited by 

 the animal, but removed as occasion requires, or even 

 absorbed again into the gelatinous film. There are vast 

 numbers of these fungus-like Madrephylles, another well- 

 known example of which is the common Brain-stone 

 Coral, Mceandrina, so called because its convolutions and 

 general shape present a striking resemblance to the 

 human brain when removed from the skull. 

 X 



