New-York daily tribune., 1861-09-08
earth closing up a. they close at the first breath oi

When you gaz iown upon coral reel you you re- SUnG
de tts capeted, many coored howgiS , orery valley
masses of snowy brliancy; every hiii, eved forms
OF tho orea deeI ia yaregated with housana
and thousand colors from the ruduy anu green
branches of the coral, TO the Deep rlc a;r }ooS Inv
of lhe Carophyles volets, when seer Above
The en,Ie motion of the richly golden stamehS' hpooe
his Liver world as if to sbade them from the VOC
glowing kss of tie ardent sun, waves "hoio
;on o9d dwsrf trees and shrubs and from Tree toteo
fber snirals stretch and interlace Ike the loving
anS tendiils Of the vne but finer in tendr,
and infinitely more splendid IN ther Varega'eu anu
contrasting, yet sngulaiiy harmoniHii9 coiois' :. T.
This glorious sight inspires, yet agiates u.s. IL Ia
dream yeitigo that Fay OF the shifting mirage the
Sea adding to these colos her own prsmatic tnts,
fading, reappearlng now here now gone, capricious
and ftful Inconsistency, hesitation, a doubt. nave
we really seen it, this lovely scene No, it was not
so. Was it an entity, or deuson fes yes, IL
Inust be real, there certainly very real beings
there for see whole hosts of them lodged there and
sporting there. The mouscs conde in that reality,
for there you see their pearly shells rejecting
lights, flashing and Brilliant aud anon OF most
tender decacy; and the crab too, believes in It, Tor
see how he hastens on his tidelong path. Strange
fish vast and curious monsters Of the deep, move
hitler and thther in their many -coored vesture of
purple and gold and deep azure and delicate PINK
and that delicate star theOphiure sgltaes hls delicate
and elegant arms
IN this phantasmagora the arboresCent Madrep.0re
mc.e gravey displays his less brilliant colors' Ills
| besuty is chiefly that Of form.
Put the chief attraction of the aspect of this vast
coSmunty is in it's entrety the individual is humble
| bus the republic is imposing. Here you have the
.tsng asembage of aloes and cactus there you have
tbx snperby branching antlers OF the DEER and anon
vi, see the vast stretch Of the vigorous branches OF
Tx giant cedar stretching at first horizontally, but
| AGpg TO advance upward and upward stll.
shose forms at present despoled of the thousands
af tens Of thousands Of living flowers, which should
cose and enlven them have, perhaps in that stern
nEity, an additional attraction for the mind love
tce )ok upon the trees ii Winter, when their barred
! bk.ghs tell us and show what they really are.
AgT thus II is with the Madrepores. In their present
Fifty, when from pictures they have become statues,
| itt esms as though they were about to reveal to us
H. whole secret Of the minute populations OF which
| tlky are at once the creation ard the monument.
AFly OF them to write to us in strange chaIac-
tE 10 speak to in strage tones. Their nerlacings
\ 'enty have a something TO tell us, could we but
uAerstand them. But who shall be their interpreter
/ -x,bo shall give US the keynote to their harmony,
Mysterious harmony-but Harmony doubtless
Flow much css significant is the Bee architecture IN
nS,old severe geometry That is the produce OF life,
bk here we look upon fe itfelf. The stone wa, not
Spy the base and shelter Of this people, 1t was itse
t,revious people, an anterior generation, which,
gfiually oyertopped by the younger, assumed Its
| / q ent eonsistence. And all the movements OF that
~ community are still strikingiy visible, Ms details
/ ~ another HerculaDeum, or Ponpen. But here
krythng ia accomplished without catastrophe, with.
/ Oh violence, by orderly and natural progress; all
| ut ifes to serenity and peace
] kyerv sculptor will here admire the forms OF
Svelous art which has achieved such infinite variety
oitorms improving upon all arts Of ornamentaton.
By we have to reflect upon something far beyond
ms g FORM The aIboresoent variety which the
nlviy Of these laborious tribes has been 60 wonder
Fl Sy employed, is the effort OF thought of captive
Ii rty seeking the guiding thread in the deep and
mS labyrinth, and tmidly feeling its way upward
tos ard the light and gently and gracefully working
OF its emancipation from communist life.
Ellis imagination finds lively FLIP even in the
us.omantic tribes of
THE OYSTER FAMILY.
! sihe uncertain motion Of the Meduss, which some-
tises perchance, may ber the mollusc at least
al the outset possesses bat very slightly. ALI that is
Ssnted to him is his sloughng or eXudng gelatine
mgtter which walls him in, and replaces the cuirhss OF
hV oursin and the oursns rock. The mousc has the
advantage Of finding bis defense within himself. Two
vR!ves form house. light and fragile, indeed, 90 much
SO that those which float transparent; in the
OF those which are TO be stationary the mucus forms
Elementary anchorng cable, called the hyssas II is
formed exactly sk il from an element originally
qite gelanOus The gigantic Irdacne, %oors 50 fast
b. that cable, that tie Madrepores mistake it for an
islet, build upon it, envelope it, and srangle it.
Passive and motonless life. 1t has no other event
than the periodical visit OF the and light, and
other action but TO absorb what comes and to secree
the Jelly which makes the house, and win by degrees
do tie rest. The attraction Of the light always in the
same direction, centTaliZes the view; and behold the
eve. The secretion fixed by constant effort becomes
am appendsge, organ which lately was cable, and
which by and by will teoome the foot, shapeless and
iparculated sss, which will bend itself TO any thing.
II is the fin of those that swm the pick OF those that
burrOw in the sand, and the foot OF those who at first
rather crawl than walk Some species arch 1t 30 that
| they make clumsy essay at leaping
Poor tribe, terribly exposed, pursued by many ene-
nes, tossed by the ana bruised on the rocks.
! Those of them which do not succeed in building
house, seek shelter in living BEDS they find tent
with the polypes, or with the floating Halcyons. The
peaflbeaTiDg Ayicule tries 10 find quiet lie in the
hoows of the sponge. The PbolaGe tries in his stony
TO initiate the arts OF the oursins, but with what
of hA ahm nf fha
Oursin which might be enyed by stonecutters the
Pholsde has but little rasp, and to dig out shelter
for her fragile she'll she wears out the shell itself
With but few exceptions, the molluscs know them
selves the prey Of everything and are therefore the
most tmid Of creatures. The Cone well knows that
be s sought after that be dares not leave his shelter
and dies there from fear Of being killed. The Volute
| and the Porcelain drag slowly along their pretty
! houses aud conceal them well as they can. The
Casque, to get along with bis palace has only little
Chinese FOOT small and 30 useless that he scarcely
| attempts 10 walk
Such the life, such the dwelling; in no other species
is there complete identity between the inhabant
and the habitation taken from bis own substance his
house is but q continuation, supplement of his
body alike il even III form and tints the architect,
beneath the edi6ce, is himself its very foundation
stone.
very simple thing it is for the sedeutares to re-
main sedeDtary The oyster regularly led by the sea,
has only TO cape when he would dine, and sharply to
close bis Shells when he has any suspicion that he
Uay become himself dinner for some hungry neigh
Dor. Bu, for the travelling mollusc the thing more
complicated lie can travel, but he Cannot leave be-
hind him lis beloved house which lie will need for
defense well shelter and it ID precisely while
his Journey that he is most ab5 10 be attacked. He
must shelter sbOye ALL the most delicate part Of bis
being the tree by which he breathes, and whose little
roots nOuYish him. His head is OF little consequence,
often il il lost without the destruction OF life but
Ihe yiscers were lett uncovered and wounded, he
must die.
Vbs ,rndsnt aud cuiraeaed he saela bia livelibood