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COMMON OBJECTS OF THE SHOEE. 



branched sponge (Halichondria oculata]. It is 

 usually of a pale sand-colour, though sometimes of 

 a darker brown. It varies much in the disposition 



of its branches, for sponges differ more than many 

 other marine productions in the form of the indi- 

 viduals of a species. It is frequently to be seen 

 hanging from the under surfaces of the rocks, at 

 about the low-water mark of spring-tides. 



Aristotle told of the sponges, that they shrank 



