THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, jej 



you : --" The animals forming these compound structures 

 are usually packed closely together, and are of very 

 minute size, so that a single polyzoary of very moderate 

 dimensions must contain an enormous number of indi- 

 viduals. Dr. Grant has reckoned that in an ordinary 

 specimen of the Flustra Carbasea there are about ten 

 square inches of surface ; in each square inch there may 

 be i, 800 cells, thus making together 18,000 within this 

 small space. Each of these animals has twenty-two 

 tentacles, so that there will be about 396,000 of these 

 minute arms upon this little specimen. If each of these 

 tentacles has only 100 cilia (and there are probably many 

 more) the whole polyzoary will have 39,600,000 of these 

 minute but important organs." 



So that you sec it is scarcely right for us to call these 

 " lower animals," or deem them insignificant, when so 

 much creative power has been displayed in their con- 

 struction. Must we not see in this, as in all the works of 

 nature, the bounteous hand of the Father of All, who 

 has with such infinite wisdom formed the most minute as 

 well as the largest creatures ? 



BADIATA. , 



THIS name was, until recently, given to all such animals 

 as had not been classified under the groups hitherto 

 described ; but further research has shown that great 

 numbers of the animals formerly called Radiata cannot in 

 reality be so classed. Various naturalists have given 

 their own views as to the division of this group. I adopt 

 here the simplest, in the hope that when you have 

 thoroughly mastered this, you may study the subject 

 further in larger books. 



Hadiata are those animals whose general structure 

 radiates from a centre that is, spreads out in a rayed or 

 star-like form. This arrangement is very plainly seen in 



