The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-05-30
CORAL.MAkERS.

1HEkE Is y very CuEiOuS. WOHucIluf
and beautiful little creature, living in
the sea. so small and simple in its con-
struction, that to look at it, without
knowing anything about it, one might
suppose that it could be of very little,
if any use. But things are not what
they seem," the poet tells us; and very
true is it, in this case, for the Polyps-
that Is the name of the family to which
this little animal belongs-insigniicant
as they appear in our eyes, are really
te-y useful.
Different kinds are found in almost
all the seas, rivers and lakes on the
globe. They are of various sizes and
forms. We shall confine ourselves, in
this article, to some varieties found
only in Tropical seas. Some of these
perform an immense and important
work, no less than the building of ISL
ands for man TO live on. One tiny
creature cannot, of course, do much
toward such a grand result; but the
large family working together in IN.
Vulnerable numbers, beautifully illus
trate the truth of the axiom, "In union
is strength
The polyps, as has been said, vary in
size, some being several inches long.
others, too small to be seen without the
help of microscope. They have
neither heads, legs, feet, hearts, lungs
nor other organs which higher animals
have; consequently, they are without
sense or motion.
A polyp may be described as a sack
or bag, with an opening at one end.
This opening Is surrounded by fringe
of fine, thread-like things called ten
tacles or feelers. We will call them
arms, also, because the animal uses
them not only as feelers, but also TO
seize, grasp, hold and push with. The
opening into the sack is called mouth,
not because it looks like one, but Le-
cause of its use in admitting food to the
sack-like stomach. Weak and defense
less as this odd little mite of being is,
when seized by enemies more powerful
than itself, it shows itself brave in se-
curing its own prey among creatures
still smaller.
The polyp is very greedy. 1t fastens
itself to leaf, plant, or rock under the
water, and when it is hungry-as it al
most always is--it stretches out its
arms in search of food. Whatever
comes within their reach is quickly
seized and pushed into the stomach.
Sometimes the thing seized is larger
than the polyp. But that makes no
difference as to the victims fate, pro-
vided it is not strong enough to tree
itself. 1t is pushed and crammed into
the captor's mouth, and held there by
its many arms until it is digested.
Unwary little worms-for there are
worms in the water as well as on land
often come too near the polyp for
their own safety, and, in spite of all
their squirming and wriggling, they
have to go the way of all flesh that is
not stronger than the polyp.
1t is almost impossible to kill one of
these strange little animals. Probably
the only way of doing SO is either to
keep it out of water until it dies, or
grind it to atoms. Possibly even then
the atoms would live, for if polyp is
cut into two parts, the mouth will keep
on swallowing, even though the food
drops through the opening made by the
cut as fast as it is takeni in at the mouth.
If the creature is all cut up into pieces,
these pieces will live right on, and,
strange to say, each one will grow until
it becomes complete polyp. If only
an arm is cut off, the arm will live,
grow and become the parent of large
family. Once {. polyp was turned in
side out. What did it dop Diep Not
bit of it. 1t went right on living. and
taking in food just as if nothing un.
usual had happened. The outside OF
its body seemed to make just as good a
lining as the original inside, although
the polyp appeared to be conscious OF
its false position, and made many un-
successful efforts to put itself right
again before the world.
The baby-polyps of one branch of the
family grow like buds on the body Of
the mother. just as soon as bud is
perfected, it puts oat bud too, and
this bud sends out another, and so on
until one po.yp becomes the parent Of
many. As soon as the youngster be-
comes of age it leaves the parental
home and starts housekeeping on it,
own account, and prepares to send
forth a numerous progeny into the
world. This kind of polyp is inclined
| to solitude. Each one lives by itsel1
and sends its children away from home
to shift for themselves as soon as pos
sible. But they have relatives of 8
more social turn. These are
| THE CORAL-MAKING POLYPS.
They live in large communities, eacf
one occupying its own apartment ol
cell. They work together most indus
triously in perfect order and harmony
A coral-maker's baby does not grow a.
the solitary polyp's infant does. It !.
at first only drop Of jelly provided
with fringe of fine hair-like append
ages called ella. These ella enable i
i to swim about in the water. They art
| in constant motion. This tinv drop o.