SPONGES 



about on the bottom until it dies ; but it never, as 

 many suppose, attaches itself to anything once it 

 has broken its root hold. It does not die at once, 

 for even when removed from the sea it may live 

 for days ; but to roll is not part of its life or faith, 

 and probably it expires after a few weeks' ex- 

 ercise. Sponges are creatures of sedentary 

 habits; the strenuous life is too much for 

 them. 



The noncommercial sponges are very numerous. 

 The loggerhead is very large and abundant upon 

 the sandy stretches called the "white waters" 

 around the islands. 



It has been suggested that a fortune awaits the 

 man who will convert the loggerhead into fertil- 

 izer, for which it is certainly adapted. No one has 

 ever attempted it so far as I have been able to 

 discover, but it is rumoured that an attempt is 

 now being made at Spanish Wells. They are gen- 

 erally round and well formed, about the size of a 

 large football. They must not be confused with 

 the black beche-de-mer,* or sea spade as it is some- 

 times called. Like the loggerhead, it is commonly 

 thought that this beche-de-mer is of no use except 

 as potential fertilizer, the edible kind being 



* The commercial value of the various kinds of beche-de- 

 mer has not been determined. Probably all are eatable, 

 but some kinds shrink up to nothing in the process of 

 desiccation. 



23 



