The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-12-26
sP0NGES.
Hard to Decide Whether They Are
Plants or Animals.
Description of the JelIY-Like sponge-Fiesh
Tho skeleton and How 1t is Pre-
pared for the Market--The
spongIla.

1t used to be great pulAie 10 INC
naturalists to tell whether sponges
were plants or animals. An ordinary
observer, looking at them as they grow
in their natural state, would surely be
much more likely to consider them to
belong to the former rather than the
latter kingdom of living things. For
sponges, like plants, are fixed organ
isms, not. being able to move about
from place to place. Then there are
some kinds which are branched and
mounted upon a stalk just as plants
are. But to the scientific observer
these points of resemblance would not
have much weight, because there are
MANY other forms of life which have
the same character, but are well-known
to be animals. But even when they
applied the more fundamental tests it
was a hard matter for the naturalsts
to tell the nature of sponges. 1t was
not, indeed. till the microscope was
discovered that their true nature was
known.
1t was then found that sponges have
characters almost precisely the same as
those of a little organism that lives
everywhere in pools OF stagnant water,
and has long been known to be true
animal.
This little organism, which can only
be seen by the aid of the microscope, is
called the Ameba. 1t is a very won
derful little creature, indeed. 1t is
wonderful because, while it has the
very simplest structure, it is yet able
to perform all the essential bodily
functions which the higher animals car
do only by means of their very com
pick organization. Ii you think how
a bit of white of egg OF an irregularl,
rounded form would look, you have ;
very good idea of the appearance of al
Amuba under the microscope. Ant
a notion obtained in this way is correc
not only as to the appearance OF tn
animal, but also as to the material 0
which its body is made; for an Am@b
is made up of substance almost eS
actly the same as white of egg. Now
this little animal, though SO exceed
ingly simple in structure, is yet able t
move about, to swallow and diges
food, and to do some of the othe
bodily functions which the higher an
mails perform. 1t is able to move abor
and to swallow food, and yet has n
organs of locomotion, and no mouth
These strange feats are accomplishe
in this way; When it wishes to chang
its place it pushes out one side OF i
body'into a club-shaped prolongatiol
and then by kind of flowing motto
moves its whole body toward it.
can thrust out any side of its form
this way, and so movein any direction
Then we may say that it is able
change any part Of its structure I'M
what, for the moment, serves the otfii
of a foot. In the same way it is able
form for itself mouth. 1t does I'll
by simply making an opening in tn
part of its body near which the partie
OF food happens to lie, and then flo
ing around it until it is completely j
closed in the body-substance y
process has been compared to thrustil
marble into lump of dough.
Having thus noticed some OF t
characters of the AmGbse, we are IN
better situation to understand what
sponge is. When the sponge OF on
nary use is first taken out of the wat
it IS covered all over, inside and o
side with soft jelly-iike substani
which constitutes the true ''sponl
flesh,
Now, il 4 bit Of this iell Ike mat
be placed under the microscope It 8
Be found to be made up Of q la
nslraber OF particles each Of which
almost exactly Ike m Amoba
close Is The resemblance tatat 9
sponoe-fIesh was lirs exanained .
microscope II was ht to con
* vast number 81 A1lt4bie assoeia'
tofether. aud sponges were thef
for i filtse regarded as comp pound
social AmwisR.
But from tho fact that all the spon
paftleles are held together by e
mon Skeleton THE sI sqn bell
sponge 0f orlinar nd ID
espeeially from Eliat
sboae articles
9roslTSs which diise froip and are
PENDENT upon oae the sYi
mass Of particles else aE is !
regarded as cq
sponge apinaA,