The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-20

THE CORAL.
DR.. Duerden is In
vestigating
PoIyps.
Over Thirty Species
Are Found Near
Waikiki.
Exhibit OF the Living Corals To
Be Made at Aquarium.
interesting Talk.

I'm just fixing some crab soup for
my specimens, said DR.. j. E. Duerden
of the University of Michigan when
asked about his work yesterday after
noon. The professor was found on the
lanai of the Aquarium surrounded by
bottles and jars filled with precious
specimens of live coral and shelves
covered with the skeletons of dead
ones The doctor was just engaged in
squirting the contents of a tube in
which the remains of crab had been
mixed with sea water into the eager
clutches of a sea anemone which wrig-
gled eager tentacles in the direction of
the food.
DR.. Duerden is at present engaged in
the study of living corals under the
auspices of the Carnegie Institute.
Yesterday he gave the following inter
esting description of his work:
What is Familiarity known as coral
represents but the skeleton produced
by small animal often spoken of as
the coral insect but in no way related
to insects as understood by biologists.
Properly these are called coral polyps.
They constitute the soft part of the
coral and it is upon these that 1 am
engaged
1.-The hard, skeleton parts, have been
already very much studied as they are
abundant in most museums but very
little scientific research has been done
on the polyps themselves. For this
purpose it is necessary that the natur-
alist should establish himself in some
dant and there on the spot make OBJ
servations day by day. have already
spent several years in the same re-
search in the West Indies and the
study has now reached such a point
that it was necessary to take up the
Pacific forms.
1.-THE Hawaiian islands are the near
est point to the mainland where such
can be studied ard the Aquarium is the
only institution offering facilities for
such investigation. I can not speak in
too high terms of the action of the
management of the Rapid Transit COM
pany in placing the resources of the
Aquarium at my disposal for without
these it would have been practically
III
work.
THE Hawaiian Islands are not so
rich in species of coral as some of the
other South Sea islands, particularly
Samoa and Tahiti. The greatest num-
Der occur on the Barrier Reef of Aus
tralia. Already however about thirty
species of shallow water forms have
been obtained and are being studied
while alive
DR.. Duerden is working partly in CO.
operation with the staff of the Bishop |
Museum which is also making an ex- |
tensive collection of dried corals. Next |
week he hopes to make a trip to other |
parts of the island in the hope of find |
ing certain forms not yet found around |
Continuing. the doctor said: Among |
other things, inquiry is being made into |
the physiology of the coral animal that |
is how it eats and the general con-
ditions of its existence and some ex-
tremely interesting results have been |
which will be given out later.
Experiments are being made as to the
possibility of keeping corals alive in the |
tanks of the Aquarium and this week
it is proposed to place on exhibition a
representative series of our living
eorals.
NO aquarium has hitherto found it
possible to maintain living coraIs with
my degree of success. They do not sur
Tive we'll in confinement for many rea-
sons They require extremely careful
mana cement as in coral rock there are
frequently found sponges. worms and
,ther boring organisms and when these
lie and decay they render the condi-
ions of life for the corals impossible.
The. coral animals themselves are so
small that they can only just be seen
With the naked eye, hence in an exhibit
only The general appearance of the lfv-
ng colonies is gained. To see the
actual polyp one must examine it at
lose quarters with lens or microscope.
One attractive feature of live corals
$ the beautiful coloring they display.
\ brownish color is the predominant
int of those around these islands. This
,olor is due TO a small yellow colored
llgae which lives within the tissues of
he polyp. In addition to the brownish
olor there are bright yeIows, green's
nd blues and the combination of these
makes an attractive display.
1T is expected that the tank con-
aiming the exhibit OF living corals viii
'e ready by the end of the week