EARTH'S DEEPEST GRAVES. 201 



But Eozom could not be placed defenseless in the sea. A 

 little lump of jelly would be swept into annihilation by the 

 force of the waves. Eozoon, however planted, held fast to its 

 support, and immediately secreted a strong roof over him for 

 protection. A thousand little holes through the roof allowed 

 threads of its gelatinous substance to be protruded. These 

 coalesced in a common film which spread over the roof like a 

 coating of tar. This was unprotected, and a second and 

 higher roof was built. The structure was now two stories high. 

 Through the upper roof innumerable minute perforations al- 

 lowed the jelly of the second story to be protruded in fine 

 threads, and these in turn coalesced, and a third roof was se- 

 creted. Thus the process continued, and the structure be- 

 came many stories high. Meantime other individuals were 

 planted by this, or near this, and by and by, they were so 

 enlarged that they grew together, and grew as one animal. 

 So hundreds and thousands of animals grew together and con- 

 tinued to grow and enlarge the structure during, probably a 

 thousand years. 



As time passed on, this organism grew old and effete. The 

 life-time of its species was drawing to a close. It was destined 

 to be replaced by something better suited to the improved cir- 

 cumstances of the world. All the time, however, the sedi- 

 ments had been gathering about the bases of the rising reef- 

 mass as the dust of time accumulates about the temples of 

 the ancient cities. As they become buried and forgotten, so 

 the eozoonal reef-structures were buried and forgotten buried 

 thousands of feet deep buried in sea-sediments which became 

 stone. Then the seons of the world continued to roll by. 

 Oh, what a varied history was enacted while the tombs of 

 Eozoon remained silent and undiscovered ! 



In the Age of Mind, a marble edifice was demanded to 

 meet some want of civilization. The primeval tomb was 

 opened by the quarryman, and there rested the relics of the 

 first inhabitant of our globe. It is that of which we have 

 been speaking. 



