78 THE UNIVERSE. 



in mystery, albeit Schleiden relates that an old monk from 

 a convent in the neighborhood stated that in his youth he 

 had gathered grapes near the monument, in a spot where 

 now the boats of the fishermen are rocked on the waves. 1 



The sea owns yet other workmen, but they dread the 

 hard stone, and only attack wood. As to them, all the world 

 knows them and sees their doings. They are the sea- 

 w r orms, only too zealous at their work, which make such 

 deadly havoc with our dikes and ships. 



These enemies of our naval works are the Teredoes, or 

 ship-worms ( Teredo navalis), worm-like molluscs which live 

 constantly in the interior of wood submerged in the waves, 

 and are perpetually gnawing it, and hollowing out numer- 

 ous tortuous galleries. We know exactly what their tools 

 are, being nothing more than the cutting edge of the little 

 shell which is projected in front of the long and soft body 

 of the animal. 



The ravages of the Teredo are terrible. In a short space 

 of time they reduce the strongest beams to a state of fragile 

 sponge. In 1731 these molluscs well-nigh occasioned the 

 submersion of Holland, having devoured the greatest part 

 of the Zealand dikes. They are a complete pest, which we 

 cannot check when we like. 



1 I have twice visited this celebrated temple, and the more I have examined it 

 the more I have been at a loss to solve the problems connected with it. Three of 

 its gnawed columns of beautiful cepola marble are still standing; the others are 

 levelled with the ground ; but the base is so perfectly horizontal that it is hard to 

 understand how it can have been engulfed and magically raised up again, while 

 still preserving its level, and without the whole of the columns being overturned. 

 On the other hand, it seems as if it could scarcely have served for a marine fish- 

 pond, or a sacred bath, as I at first thought. 



