The San Francisco call., 1913-10-06
sP0NCEs LIVE IN
MYSTERIOUS WAY
Science Has Yet Much to
Learn About These Oh
jects of Common Use

u uo dFlicle Is THIS more true imam
| of sponges, that singular group which
serves to bridge the gap between the
| vegetable and animal kingdoms.
! Even now there is much to learn of
the life of the sponge
! The various families of sponges
live In curiously different way in
the beginning of their lives; one fam
lily of them begins life az tiny atom
which, leaving the parent cell, whirls
about in lively dance; after a time
1t assumes a beehive shape, and grad
ually attaches itself by its mouth to
some object beneath tile sea, and be-
| comes fixed for life. Gradually it ac-
icumulates the material known as
| spongin, which is something like the
material which forms the umbrella
of the jellyfish. and it forms a skele-
ton for itself as almost all sponges
do, composed of spicules like ibers
OF fiinty nature
ORGANISMS THEIR FooD
| Even the lowest families Of spenges
require food in the form OF minute
organisms, and these are absorbed
through the pores, the exact porIlan
OF the sponge which carries on the
digestive processes not having yet
all events it is known that having
obtained carbonic acid and water they
get rid of those portions which are
OF no use to them. which are then
carried away by the water which is
always pouring through the cells or
the sponges.
New individuals are formed by the
amoeboid cells. which form a mass Of
future sponge cells, surrounded by
capsules holding nutriment intended
for the future sponge: and In some
families these gradually bulge toward
the mouths of the parent cells. and
drop off to form future groups: while
in the case of the fresh water sponges
i-of which there is one famIly-these
form spreading heap. which go to
form a number of separate sponges.
AT first the young sponges feed
| upon the yolk cells. which have stored
food for them to insure a supply dur
ing the drought of hot climate and
the extreme. cold of other rivers
where they live; and these are evil
IDENTIFY adaptations from marine
sponges which have taken to new
modes of life during the past ages.
IT is not exactly known whether
sponges are distributed all over the
globe, but various species have been
dredged up from almost every level
of the different oceans showing that
some form of sponge exists In most
quarters of the earth. while fresh
water sponges are found fn the rivers
OF every continent except Australia:
but by far the greatest number of
genera are found in the Pacific Some
families live best upon a bottom of
mud, not too far from land. while
others again require great depth of
| water. and one family is found at a
depth of 1000 fathoms or more
OF ANTIQUE ORIGIN
An interesting fact about these
curious organisms is that they have
| existed upon the globe from exceed
1ngly early times numbers of their
FOSSIL remains having come to light
in the early Cambrian system. and in
very much the same condition as they
increase and multiply at the present
time, not having changed their mode
OF life from those early days though
until lately II has been found difficult
to classify the fossil sponges owing
to the changes their skeletons have
undergone In a mineral state. but 1t
is now ascertained that these fossil
| sponges are Identical with those we
know today
The chief sponge market in Europe
is at Trieste, where the best sponges
are brought for sale, and the trade in
them is considerable, these being an
| important article of trade off the Dali
/ matian coast: indeed. the sponge fish
ers there regard the trade as so vital
| to them that they have hitherto pre-
vented the successful artificial farm
ing of sponges. though this has been
proved to be possible enough but for
their hostility, says the London
Globe
METHOD OF PROPAGATION
dredge them from the bottom of the
sea and cut them into small pieces
carefully preserving the covering
from injury. for this is necessary to
! the life of the sponge. The pieces
are then fastened to sticks and let
down into the sea. avoiding the
/ mouths of rivers and sea springs, for
they can not live near either of these
The sticks holding the sponges are
| fastened between boards and
weighted with stones. and are then
found TO thrive and grow well. but it
/ is difficult to carry on the industry
owing to the antagonism of the
| divers.
These make their living by diving
from a boat bearing a bag to hold
the sponges, and the divers usually
go to a depth of 25 fathoms. though
IL they attempt to go deeper they earn
do so as far as 40 fathoms: but in this
case they can only remain below for
a short time, and are then I'm sled ITO
the surface in a fainting state. From
a shallower depth they recoYer.within
a few minutes from their efforts. but
from the lower level it takes a. con-
siderable time before they venture
again. unless they be in a diving
dress; though even so, If they remain
for more than a few minutes, palsy
overcomes them.
When the sponges are brought to
the surface they are dried for a few
days till they begin to decompose
when they are beaten with sticks in
order to remove all the soft tissues.
after which a sponge is cleaned and
hung up TO dry, when it is ready for
sale: but 1t must on no account be
packed into bales until 1t is quite
dry, or 1t will rust, the marks some-
times seen upon sponges being due
to this cause. But after the sponges
are received by the wholesale ware
houses they are again cleaned and
trimmed into suitable shapes for the
market.
lLOST BABY FOUND,