CORALS ABOVE WATER. 



119 



ish white of the corals in our museums at home. 

 Unfortunately, the finest and most beautiful speci- 

 mens require so much space, both to dry them at 

 first and to pack them in afterwards, that their 

 transport is difficult, and in a small man-of-war 

 impossible. The smell of the animal matter 

 also, while the corals are drying, is most sickening. 



I observed to-day, that some considerable portions 

 of coral, all alive and coloured, were left by the 

 tide six or eight inches above the water, and 

 remained so till it returned, or for nearly an hour. 

 They did not seem injured by the exposure, which 

 of course must frequently occur. I often observed 

 the same fact, both before and since, and believe, 

 that an exposure, of two or three hours, to ihe air 

 and the sun will not kill many of the coral polyps, as 

 long as they are left in the position of growth, and 

 their cells thus retain the moisture. Perhaps some 

 portion of the common body remaining under water 

 may be essential ; but I have seen blocks of living 

 astraea, with the green animals in their cells, the 

 top of which was eighteen inches above the water, 

 and if 1 recollect rightly, the base also was dry. 



During our next year's cruise, I spent a night on 

 the wreck of the Martha Ridgway, when a party 

 was sent to cut out some tanks for the use of 

 Raine's Islet. I accompanied them, as I wished to 

 take every opportunity of seeing* the edge of the 

 Barrier reef. 



We had a heavy pull of a couple of hours, dead to 



