
FIRST FLOOR, SOUTHEAST PAVILION 
Marine Habitat Group. A community of starfishes, sea anemones, sea urchins, corals 
and sponges as seen below the edge of a coral reef in the Bahamas 
of commerce belong to the latter class. In the specimens exhibited the 
skeleton only can be seen, the living tissue having been removed. 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 artificially colored to show the natural 
coloring of sponges, which varies from the bleached yellowish color com- 
monly seen to deep brown or black, or yellow and red, in varying shades. 
In Alcove 3 are shown coral animals and their relatives: plant-like 
hydroids which often are mistaken for sea moss, but which 
Alcove 3 
really are a series of yps living in a colony; jellyfishes 
Polyps lly are a series of polyps living in a colony; jell es 
with their umbrella-shaped bodies and long streaming tenta- 
cles; brilliant colored sea anemones, sea fans and sea plumes; the magenta 
colored organ-pipe coral, and the precious coral of commerce. Coral polyps 
are the animals that build up the coral reefs (there is no coral “insect”’). 
The best known species in this group is the tapeworm, whose develop- 
ment and structure are accurately shown by the models in 
Alcove 4 
the central case. As will be seen, its structure is more com- 
Flatworms 
plex than that of preceding forms. 
