8 



Lei^sons in Zoology. 



amall tnbea with one another, and microscopic tabes too small to be 

 traced ont. Oar sponges come from the Caribbean Sea or the 

 Florida coast, and were taken from the rocks with a carved fork or 

 a dredge. Mediterranean sponges are brought up by divers. When 

 alive they were covered with a dark colored flesh, bnt the flesh has 

 been removed, and only the fibres are left. 



OUTLINE OF NEW WORK. 



What was the use of the fibres ? Not only to support 

 the flesh, but also to protect the animal. They are made 

 of a horny substance, and so tough that flflhes very seldom 



Fig. 2. 



try to eat a sponge. The hard parts of a body, support- 

 ing and protecting softer ones, are the skeleton. We have 

 only the skeleton of our sponges. Which side was fixed 

 to the rock ? We are sure it was the smooth, dark side, 

 because it appears to have been cut, and also because some 

 of the sponges have bits of rock caught in the fibres on 

 this side. 



Where does the sponge get its food ? From the water 



