Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1896-01-16

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yet it has life, keeps its If from sinking
and not only moves up and down with
! quiclness, but it soon becomes partly
covered with fine hairs like exclusives
These hairs are called ella
| The gemmule moves these ella about
quite rapidly, makes motion in he water
and starts off. As it swims, it looks as if
it did not know what it wanted nor
where it was going. But its Creator
knows, for He cares for it, and draws the
| little sponge far away from the old
sponge, that it may live in another place,
and so spread the good Of its existence
| over the sides and bottom OF the sea.
II two of these gemmules happen to
meet and to touch each other, they in
stantly stop moving their ella. The next
moment they turn themselves around,
| and then off they go on their way through
the water. After wandering for about
three days, the gemmule seems to be tired
Of roaming and settles down upon some
piece OF rock, or shell, or wood, and be-
| gins to fasten the smaller end of its body
| to this hard su bstance.
AS long as it lives, the place where it
| settles becomes its home. While the
gemmule is making itself fast to the rock,
| its ella keep the water around it in mo-
tom but a few hours after it has fixed
itself tight, these ella become quiet and
this jelly-like animal lies down fiat on
the rock.
| AS soon as the gemmule becomes quiet,
| great number of dark spots may be
| seen floating in its clear little body
These dark spots are the fibers of the
| sponge beginning to grow in the live
jelly. These fibers are made of slick, lime
glue and albumen, drawn into the body
out Of the sea-water.
These little spots of sponge soon join
! together like net work and make skel-
eton for the live jelly to rest upon. AS
this frame work grows in the gemmule.
its live jelly grows too, and the jelly fills
all the tubes and holes of the sponge and
even overtiows the outside of the sponge.
! When the jelly is much grown, great
many fine spikes are seen to shoot out of
the sides of the sponge tubes. These fine
J spikes no doubt are made to grow in the
/ inside OF he tubes, to prevent the weight
! VI tiic ; ing sponge from pressing 100
heavily upon t he live animal jelly.
All around that part of the sponge
which is fastened on the rock, you may
see Il clear rim of Jelly spread-out. When
two sponges grow so near each other that
these rims touch, they grow together at
once, and make one lump of sponge.
Persons have tried to take hold of the
living jelly of the sponge, in order to see
what it is like; but as soon it is taken
off the sponge, it turns into a kind of
thick oil or glue, and soon dries up.
AS the sponge grows on the rocks, it
! throws up many cone-like heads with
large holes at the top. By these little
holes in the sides the sponge draws the
sea- water into its substance; and, after
/ letting the water run through the whole
mass OF its body, the living creature
throws out what it does not want through
the large holes at the top, often with such
force as to cause it to rise up like little
| fountain.
Some sponges grow like shrubs, some
| like vases and tn bes. and some like globes.
They stick Sc tight to the rocks upon
which they are fastened that the dashing
Of the waves hardly ever tears them off.
| They cover cliffs and rocks, line the walls
of caves deep under the waters, or hang
in dropping branches from the roofs Of
| the cayerns.
When the sponge is taken from the
water, the animal jelly soon dries up and
crumbles. What we call sponge, is simply
the soft bones or framework Of the ami
NAL.
The jewellers by the sea where sponges
grow, are taught in childhood to dive
for the sponge. They learn to remain
under the water from one to two minutes
at time. They pull the sponges from
the rocks, bring them to the surface and
take them on shore.
Sponge is found in various parts OF the
ocean, but the strongest is obtained from
the Mediterranean sea. The sponge is
useful to man as a means for cleansing
the surfaces of glass and Of wood and for
washing the body.