Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-10-21
a RUINED CITY.

The Colony of Little Animals uiich
Once Lived Ia Thousands Of Cradles
Not so Harmless as They seem.
Nothing that we find on the beach Is
more of u wreck than tho torn bit Of
scawecd that we preserve and spread
SO carefully and that is so beautiful;
but the wrecks | am telling about were
all the homes Of living animals. and
among your scawecd-if YOU have any
II have no doubt YOU can lind at least
two or three genuine wrecks. not OF
one creatures home, but Of whole Cit
les of little animals.
When you pick up what looks like Il
bit of weed, but Is rather still and
horny. keeping its shape as you handle
It, you may be sure it is no weed. If
it is shaped like q tiny shrub, an inch
or two high, 1t is one that is very COM
mon on our shores, the Buyu'a tnrrita.
If you look closely at it, even with q
common magnifying glass or ''lincn
glass" you will see that it is in little
joints. We'll. at every one Of these
joints is little cell, or room you may
call il, anL when IL was in the sea u
little crca,u lived in each one. 1t
could draw itself down into mere
lump in the bottom, or it could thrust
out daisy-shapcd head and draw the
sca.watcr into its mouth
v hat Is strangcst about them. all the
little fellows that lived in one OF these
small shrubs were connected together
in such q way. through the hollow
stems, that they were like one
animal. and lived and died to-
gether. And. wonderful to say.
II is all one family, and grew
from one mere dot of sea baby,which
swan around by means Of the fringe
of hairs or ella, till it wished TO settle,
when il became liked on Il shell or u
weed, and began this great family Of
hundreds Of creatures
Sometimes you will find on 4 broad
seawccd or a shell Hat colony Of
these little creatures. standing out like
the spokcs OF wheel. and branching
in every direction. This is the Crisia
eJurnea, and it had its tenant at every
joint. Nothing could be prctter than
this little white city when n fairy.likc
blossom opened at every joint.
One of the most curious OF these
queer cities is called the lcafy sea.mat
1t looks like q tliick.leavcd plant. from
q half.inch to two or three inches
high, and of brownish color. Look
carefully at 1t, especially II YOU have a
glass. and you will see that 1t Is GOV.
cred with little cells shaped like tiny
slippers. or, rs one writer calls them,
cradles. They do look like cradles, the
more so Is each one has its living baby
In 1t.
Some ofthcse big sea families grow in
the shape of q lovely feather from one
inch to three inches long; 1t Is q Ser
tularia, and l dare say you have one
among your scaweeds-ncarly every
one has. 1t is ycllowish in color. and
stiff, and will not stick to the paper
like seawecd, but has to be gummcd ol
otherwise fastened. The beautiful pink
corallinc that you gather in the rock
pools or on shells was once the home
OF thousands.
Little and harmless and wccd-likc a.
they look, some Of them are we'll pro
yided with weapons. The feather,
one I spoke Of has been CAREFUL,
studied through microscope. and i
is discovered that each tiny dot OF :
polyp (thcsc little fellows are polypsI
has lance. or dart, or whatever yor
may call ia long. elastic thread
very strong. that usually lies coiled III
In his cell, but which he can throw
with great force. IT is armed will
barbs, and II In some way poisons an.
little creature It touches. So 1t ism
SO innocent bit of seaweed asst looks
1t Is true wreck. not of one, but o
Thousands ruined polyp city, in fact
or wba, tllc books call Polypidom.
Sometimes, among all these cities
you will find one little fellow that live
In his cunning shell house all alone
II is about IT,, size of pins head--'
minute tube coiled up tightly and fast
ened to u seaweed. The owner, whei
alive. was a!,worm-like creature witt
IN elegant aower-GSe head. and