River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-09-12
Treasures rtomsthe Deep.


"The seasr stys s.iter who has dfcp-
" studied; the subject. ''coutains IL lis
bosom an exuoerance OF life, OF which no
other region Of the globe affords any cea.
Our forests do not afford any ASYLUM 10
nearly SO iAanv animals as do those of
the ocean, For the sea has is forests,
long marile herbs, or the fioatinp banks
d sea-weajl which tine waves have de-
tached ~ we could plunge our Chances
into the liqnid crystal 1T the lndisn
ocean. We nonid see realized therein The
fairy tales OF our infancy. Fantastic
sh.1ba dccked with living flowers, the
ric1e~t cogors gowng ever where, green
.nd bsowt.s, the livciIest reds, and the
most in3enso blues The sand is s,fiok-
led with SEA hedgehogs and sea star T
fantastic s,rms and varied coIurs. The
sea apem<nes, like great cactus Il 'wers,
tdorn thot rocks with their crowns. ar
spread OVER the ocean like a flbHer.hed
1fbriliar1 flowers The hummlng bir 8
Of ocean,: small, gieaming hsh ;. sou.o
bright, with metallic splendar of blue
1r vermilion, some with glded gre
or dazzling silver uster, play around the
coral bushes Light az spirits OF tae
ABYSS. tho white or blue bells OF he
madua 13at through this enchanted
world.
But If eur coasts do not present US such
a fairy laed as this, they yet provide US
with many wonderful and bean itul
things See, mere Is an oyst,r Not
much besltg here" YOU say. No, but
much TO wonder at. He does not seem
we'll pleaoed for hap 2ipe.s, though with
4 - h. hoe lfu He ltfaa 4
spent between two heavy st me plates,
Wish which be can secure himself. ThOse
lovely things called pVaris are, however,
| his sreciai treasure. They are caused hy
wounds made by worms boring the shells
and surfing their bodit s. Pearly matter
| is thsowno out freely ON The injured spot.
| wi ich soan b comes pearl 6 t greater or
| less size. Or sometimes a grain Of sand
/ gets in,o the oysters house and irritates
/ hn, upoA which he coats 1t over with
! p&ariy matter.
Here il little crab. 1t lives, YOU see,
! ina bard: shell The shs' does not grow,
lie safely while he is weak and helpless.
| Then be goes withnut food until he is
very fhin@ and bis clothes hang about him,
as we say. In this state now shell, soft
/ and cla,lfc, forms about his body Then
tie cran struggles and splits his old shell,
/ aad pulls his long legs out Of his boots.
| When he mas got safely over this strange
| process The crab increases rapidly in size,
and his new suit Incomes in few days
as hard rs his former one. te.
Here IS star tisn, or astoria, often
called he five finger It's mouth, you
see, is insthe midJie OF the under side,
| and it Is a great devour,r of small she'll
fish, 1t is considered SO destructive to
oysters, that by old laws, every man was
liabe to he punished VIII, did not kill
the five -tiuger when he saw il.
And what is this mass of jellyi 1t is
creature called The meddsa, or sea nettie.
1t has received its latter name because il
MAKES your skin smart when YOU touch
il While the medusa is floating, many
tentacla9 or nets may be sen hanging
from its uudersidc With theseit catches
food II You axe q me3usq alive, you
/ Will find L impossible 10 hold ii in your
ftgtrs. 1t will divide into parts and
! TAIL a shapeless mass Sometimes these
| strange animals may be seen below u
a shipkeel, glowing like white-hot can
non bal
Perhaps the most wonderful creatures
Of all, IL we consider their NorKs, AFRO
the PoigDi. These animals are OF soft,
jeily-liko substance, sometimes shaped
ike bill or a piIl-box. The sea aue-
mones, as taey are called, belong 20 tits
class Round an opening or uouth in
the uppar side are arranged a number of
arms ike the petals of daisy, Tag means
of which the or .ature seiZeS his Prey.
The prey Is sometimes quite rs large as
the pol,pi itse.t, but il is su X d INTO the
interior and there destroyed The shell,
| ifthe is one, being vpmt,d firth alier-
wards Tuis animal flower is fixed on q
rock, along which it can slowly crawl
TIE poiypi form the substances called
| corai aad madrep.re By iher means
/ immense re, f Of solid iock, which stem
! the ':.'ahty waves aud firm large islands
| are RAISED in mid &c an
! 0ne vt the most useful treasures Of the
sen "a the sponge. II il believed to b.
an auimal, but the lowest OF all animals
M feelings have ever set beeu disc ,ver-
| ed in the sponge, though II has been
piuchcd and tortured with red-hot IRONS.
/ Ii is pierced in all drrcio1s by canals,
out 0i wqieh opening streams Of water
are hcinsy constantly Olsen Tged. 1t is
imposed the creature sucks the water in
10 ITS body 10y small pores and gets rid
of it wpen it has draincl i, OF ali its
nourishigg mat er.