THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



161 



necessities it must have food, but has neither mouth nor 

 stomach. Of course, these deficiencies render eating and 

 digesting rather difficult acts, but the tiny creature is still 

 able to get its living, for, pressing its soft substance 

 against the tiny particle it desires to eat, it closes its 

 body around it. It sometimes seems to swallow (if 

 indeed this can be called swallowing) some of the 

 minute creatures inhabiting shells, and these coverings, 

 or any other indigestible substances, are got rid of by 

 pressing them out through any part of the body. 



Some of these creatures associate in colonies, and form 

 delicate and exquisitely beautiful calcareous shells, each 



Fig. 112. 



divided into chambers corresponding with the number 

 of animals residing in it, pierced with an infinite number 

 of tiny holes, through which they send out their false feet 

 (or pseudopodia)* and these have been distinguished by 

 the name Foranienifera.^ These animals have existed in 

 such incalculable numbers that an important portion of 

 the crust of the earth viz., the Chalk formation is mainly 

 formed of them. Whole mountain ranges in southern 

 Europe are formed almost entirely by the fossil shells of 



* Psettdes, false ; ous, a foot. 



t Foramen, an orifice ; fero,1 carry. 

 K 



