The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-07-24
Treasures from the Deep.

Treasures from the Deep.
"The sea" says a writer who has
deeply studied the subject, " contains
in itg bosom an exuberance of life, of
which no other region of the globe
affords any idea. Our forests do not
afford an asylum to nearly 80 many ami
mails as do those of the ocean. For the
sea has its forests, long marine herbs,
or the floating banks of sea-weed which
the waves have detached. If we could
plunge our glances into the liquid crys-
tai of the Indian ocean, we should see
realized therein the fairy tales of our in-
fancy. Fantastic shrubs decked with
living flowers, the richest colors glow
ing everywhere; greens and browns, the
liveliest reds, and the most intense
blues. The sand is sprinkled with sea-
hedgehogs and sea-stars, of fantastic
forms and varied colors. The sea-ane-
mones, like great cactus flowers, adorn
the rocks with their crowns, or spread
over the ocean like hower-bed of bril-
liant flowers. The hummiug- birds of
ocean, small, cleaning fishes, some
bright, with metallic splendor of blue
or vermilion, some with a gilded green
or dazzling silver luster, play around
the coral bushes. Light as spirits Of
the abyss, the white or blue bells of the
medusa float through this enchanted
world"
But if our coasts do not present us
such fairy land as this, they yet pro-
vide us with many wonderful and beau
tiful things. See, here is an oyster.
''Not much beauty here" you say. No,
but much to wonder at He does not
seem we'll placed for happiness,
though without doubt he has his joys.
His life is spent between two heavy,
stony plates, with which he can secure
himself. Those lovely things called
pearls are, however, his special treasure.
They are caused by wounds made by
worms boring the shells and hurting
their bodies. Pearly matter is thrown
out freely on the injured spot, which
(. soon becomes pearl of greater or less
size. Ot sometimes grain of sand gets
into the oysters house and irritates
him, upon which he coats it over with
pearly matter.
Here is little crab. 1t lives, you
see, in a hard she'll The shell DOES not
grow, but the crab does, and therefore
he wants a new shell now and then.
When he feels that he must cast off his
old shell he first of all gets into some
hole, where he can lie safely while he is
weak and helpless. Then he goes with.
ont food until he is very thin, and his
clothes hang about him, as we say. In
this state a new shell, soft and elastic,
forms about his body. Then the crab
struggles and splits his old shell, and
pnlls his long legs out of his boots,
When he has got safely over this strange
4 process the crab increases rapidly in
size, and his new suit becomes in fow
DAYS as hard as his former one.
Here is a star-fsh, or astoria, often
called the five finger. It's mouth, you
see, is in the middle of the under side,
and it is a great devourer of small she'll
fish. 1t is considered so destructive to
oysters, that by old laws, every man was
liable to be punished who did not kill
the five-fnger when he saw it.
And what is this mass of iellyl 1t is
creature called the medusa, or sea,
nettle. 1t has received its latter name
Because it makes your skin smart when
You touch it. While the medusa is
doating, many tentacles or nets may be
geen hanging from its undeIside. With
these it catches food If you take
medusa alive, you will find it impossible
10 hold it in your fingers. 1t will divid,
into parts and fall a shapeless mass
Sometimes these strange animals may bt
seen below a ships keel, glowing like
White-hot cannon balls.
Perhaps the most wonderful crea,
tures of ali, if we consider their works
are the Polypi. These animals are of
soft, jelly-like substance, sometimes
shaped like a bell or pill-box. The
sea-anemones, as they are called, belonC
10 this class. Round an opening OF
mouth in the upper side are arranged @
number of arms, like the petals of a dai
81, by means of which the creature
eizes his prey. The prey is sometimes
quite as large as the polypi itself, but
i is sucked into the interior and there
destroyed; the shell, if there is one, be
ng Yomited forth afterwards. This
0imal.hOwer is fixed on a rock, along
allieh it can slowly crawl.
The polypi form the substances called
toral and madrepOre. By their means
Immense reefs of solid rock, which stem
The mighty waves and form large Islands
are raised in mid ocean.
One of the most useful treasures o
the sea is the Sponge. 1t is believed t.
be an animal, but the lowest of all ami
mails. No feelings have ever yet beer
discovered in the sponge, though it ha
been pinched and tortured with red-hO
fons. IL is pierced IN all directions by
als. ont of which opening streams O.
are being constantly discharged
IMPOSED the creature sucks the
nIo its body by small pores, anC
it when il has drained it o.
rahing matter.