CORALS. 
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with them. The different kinds of these particles, found in different species, are of 
great importance in classification. One of the most common of the group is 
Gorgonia verrucosa , found in the Mediterranean, and here illustrated. A 
shark’s egg is shown in the illustration attached to the coral by means of its 
a sea-fan (Gorgonia verrucosa), with a shark’s egg fixed to its branches (nat. size). 
appendages. The soft covering of this Gorgonia is white. These animals occupy 
no very important place in the economy of nature; but several gastropods seem to 
attack the polyps, and brittle-stars climb up the branches in search of food. A 
beautiful form is Isidigorgia, resembling a corkscrew with a long spiral. It sends 
off at right angles to the principal axis, and at short intervals, delicate branches, 
