174 iftature's 



the means for respiration, circulation, feeding, 

 digestion, and reproduction. 



Sponges grow in the bottom of the sea at 

 different depths. They are obtained by divers 

 who make a business of gathering them. The 

 best sponges are called the Turkish sponge, 

 which are very soft and velvety, and may be 

 bleached until they are nearly white by sub- 

 jecting them to the action of certain acids. 

 The divers become very expert, but they do 

 not have the modern equipments of a diving 

 suit. The Syrian divers in the Mediterranean 

 go down naked with a rope attached to their 

 waists and a stone attached to the rope to 

 cause them to sink, together with a bag for 

 carrying the sponges. They have trained 

 themselves until they can remain under water 

 from a minute to a minute and a half, and in 

 that time can gather from one to three dozen 

 sponges. The ordinary depth to which they 

 descend is from eight to twelve fathoms. But 

 a very expert diver will go down as far as forty 

 fathoms. The better class of sponges are said 

 to grow in the deeper waters. The coarse in- 

 ferior sponges are called the Bahama sponge. 

 This sponge is of a peculiar shape, growing 

 more like a brush, with long bristly fiber. 



The trade in sponges is quite large. The 

 consumption in Great Britain alone amounts 

 to about $1,000,000 per annum. 



The sponge as an animal possesses many ad- 



