The Coolidge examiner., 1937-10-07

a - ONE sails over IllG
II coral reefs in the Trop-
x n les in a glass-bottomed
boat and gaZes down
at the deep sea gardens, the
coral castles of the reef-build-
ers are seen to be adorned
and surrounded by thickets
of waving sea growths that to
the uninitated appear to be a
plant vegetation of varied hue
and graceful form. These
are the gorgonians and, far
from being plants, are in real
ity animal structures. Like
the corals, they are colonies
of polyps, but instead of build
ing limestone habitations
they have specialized in horn,
or chitin, as a building ma
terial.
Descending to the ocean bottom
to examine the gorgonians, you see
that the fernlike plumes, the fiat
lacy fronds Of the sea fans, and the
club-shaped branches Of the sea
bushes are alive with close-set
ranks of tiny expanded polyps. tint
ed green. yellow, pink, or white.
Myriads of starlike forms extend
radiating arms around open mouths,
hungrily sweeping in their invisible
prey. The delicate, transparent
columns, which are their bodies.
rise from pitlike openings perforat-
ing the branches of their common
dwelling places. There is no OBJ
vious sign of activity
Yet beneath the outer crust their
bodies unite in a network which per-
meates the entire structure, and the
microscopic cells of their tissues are
ceaselessly engaged in laying down
and cementing the central core OF
flexible and tough horn which sup
ports the entire community.
Beautiful Patterns and Colors.
Surrounding this inner skeleton,
the polyps have set in a mosaic OF
interlocking needles of lime of most
delicate workmanship and minute
size. the whole forming an invest
ment of rich color.
Yonder rises the reddish-purple,
double-edged gorgonian, its two or
three-sided branches bordered with
long lines of white polyps standing
in single file like soldiers. If you
remove a small colony of this spe-
cies from its anchorage among the
coral heads and carry it with you up
the ladder to the boat, you can place
a portion of one branch in dish of
sea water under microscope. In
a short time the polyps expand and
through the magnifying power OF
your lenses you can see what they
are really like.
At the tip of the branch several
polyps are fully open. Each trans
lucent silvery creature erects itself
full length and spreads a circlet OF
eight tentacles, edged with tiny
toothlike projections. This number
of tentacles. with their ornamental
ton. is characteristic Of gorgonlan
polyps. as distinguished from their
cousins, the corals. The central.
circular mouth leads down to the
hollow interior of the creature,
The gorgonians of the West In
dian waters are closely related to
the famous precious coral, which oc-
ours in the Mediterranean and the
Sea of Japan, but is entirely lack
ing in American coral reefs. This
species, so important in the jewelry
trade, grows in small branching
clusters on the sea bottom. In life
the coral structure is covered with
a brittle outer crust of soft reddish
color, from which the delicate white
polyps protrude. They are quite
similar to other gorgonian polyps.
If the crust is removed, together
with two other concentric whitish
layers, the hard inner core is un-
covered. This is the part that
becomes the precious coral of COM
merce. 1t varies in color from
brilliant scarlet, in some specimens,
to a delicate rosy pink, or even
white, in others. 1t is capable of
taking a high polish and, as every
one knows, may be carved into
beads or other ornaments.
The relative value of the differ
ent shades depends upon the fashion
of the time. A number of years
ago the deep scarlet was in favor,
to be supplanted later by the rose
colored coral in popular esteem.