98 How Sammy Went to Coral-Land 
composed of carbonate of lime, and will 
last for ages. The inside of this tree that 
we are looking at is all dead coral, or 
corallum, while the flowers that are on 
the outside of the trunk and branches 
are the living animals. 
“ Some kinds of coral polyps bud and 
extend in different directions, and that 
accounts for the many wonderful shapes in 
which coral grows. Some species divide 
in two, like the Anemones, but the ma¬ 
jority live in families, or colonies. There 
are coral reefs and coral trees, domes and 
balls of coral, graceful vases, and all sorts 
and kinds of different plants and odd 
growths. 
“ You know that living coral cannot ex¬ 
ist above the surface of the ocean, for ex¬ 
posure to the sun and air kills the 
polyps ; yet it is always growing upward 
and outward, the living animals making 
