38 



/ A r ER TFJiH. 1 TES. SPOyCES 



Mann. Il:.l.ii:,i (..iMiii) A .■..iiiiiiiiiui \ m1 -tarli~h<-^, -i-a : 



"Pon^cs as seen below the edge of a coral reef in the Bahamas. 



lal^ and 



Many of the "glass" sponges are very beautiful in design. Sponges 

 range in size from the tiny Grantia of the New England coast to the 

 gigantic "Neptune's goblets" found in the eastern seas. This alcove 

 contains certain specimens whose tissue is represented in wax tinted to 

 show the natural coloring of sponges, which varies from the bleached 

 yellowish color commonly seen to deep brown or black, or j-ellow and red, 

 in varjnng shades. 



In Alcove 3 are shown coral animals and their relatives: plant-like 

 hydroids which often are mistaken for sea moss, but which 

 really are a series of polyps living in a colony: jellyfishes 

 with their umbrella-sha])ed bodies and long streaming 

 tentacles: l)rilliaiit colored sea anemones, sea fans and sea plumes: the 

 magenta colored organ-pipe coral, the stony corals, and the ])recious 

 coral of connnerce. Coral polyps are the animals tliat build uj) the 

 coral reefs (there is no coral "insect"). 



The best known s]MH'ies in this grouj) is the ta])ew()rm. whose develop- 

 ment and structure* are accurately shown by the models in 

 the central case. As will be sch'u. its structure is more com- 

 j)lex than that of ])re('(Mling forms. 



Alcove 3 

 Polyps 



Alcove 4 



Flatv^orms 



