74 
LIFE AND HER CHILDREN. 
Fig. 29. 
A far hardier and more sturdy animal is the 
builder of the white coral, as he stands out in the 
midst of the wild Pa- 
cific, the stormy sea 
dashing against his 
home, while he has 
nothing but the power 
of life and growth 
to bring against it. 
Nevertheless, he not 
only lives, but builds 
strong stony barriers, 
which shut out the rest- 
less waves, and enclose 
calm,still salt lagoons, 
in whose depths more 
delicate corals can 
nestle and flourish. 
To understand how 
the white coral builds 
its skeleton we must 
look back to the sea- 
anemone, and to the 
partitions in the wall 
of its body (p. 67). 
The white coral is in 
fact a group of sea- 
anemones all growing together, and throwing out 
buds which remain on the stem, and each bud, as it 
takes the carbonate of lime out of the water, builds 
it up in solid layers between those partitions in its 
body. If you can find at the sea-side the little Devon- 
shire cup-coral (Fig. 30), which is a single coral of this 
Piece of White Coral. 
(Madrepore.) 
