THE FAIRY-LAND OF SCIENCE. 21 
ing upward in a row of tentacles. The coral is se- 
creted in the body of the polyp out of the carbonate 
of lime in the sea. Thus the coral animalcule rears 
its polypidom or rocky structure in warm latitudes, 
and constructs reefs or barriers around islands. It 
is limited in range of depth from 25 to 30 fathoms. 
Chemically considered, coral is carbonate of lime; 
physiologically, it is the skeleton of an animal ; geo- 
graphically, it is characteristic of warm latitudes, es- 
pecially of the Pacific Ocean." This description is 
correct, and even very fairly complete, if you know 
enough of the subject to understand it. But tell me, 
does it lead you to love my piece of coral ? Have you 
any picture in your mind of the coral animal, its home, 
or its manner of working? 
But now, instead of trying to master this dry, hard 
passage, take Mr. Huxley's penny lecture on Coral 
and Coral Reefs,* and with the piece of coral in your 
hand, try really to learn its history. You will then be 
able to picture to yourself the coral animal as a kind 
of sea-anemone, something like those which you have 
often seen, resembling red, blue, or green flowers, put- 
ting out their feelers in sea-water on our coasts, and 
drawing in the tiny sea-animals to digest them in that 
bag of fluid which serves the sea-anemone as a stom- 
ach. You will learn how this curious jelly animal can 
split itself in two, and so form two polyps, or send a 
bud out of its side and so grow up into a kind of " tree 
or bush of "polyps," or how it can hatch little eggs in- 
side it and throw out young ones from its mouth, 
* Manchester Science Lectures, No. i, Second Series. John 
Heywood, 141, Deansgate, Manchester. 
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