. Guide leaflet. own underthe sea, and placed them besidethe living specimens for compari-son so as to test the accuracy ofour colors. The result was verygratifying. At arms length, theylooked exactly like the real coraland blended with their living wonderful cluster of golden yellowPorites coral which rose in anenormous dome above our was composed of a successionof expanded mushroom-like caps,completely covered with smallconical mounds which gleamedin the sunlight flickering throughthe ripples overhead. Like mostsuch growths, the caps were sup-ported by eroded columns of deadcoral li
. Guide leaflet. own underthe sea, and placed them besidethe living specimens for compari-son so as to test the accuracy ofour colors. The result was verygratifying. At arms length, theylooked exactly like the real coraland blended with their living wonderful cluster of golden yellowPorites coral which rose in anenormous dome above our was composed of a successionof expanded mushroom-like caps,completely covered with smallconical mounds which gleamedin the sunlight flickering throughthe ripples overhead. Like mostsuch growths, the caps were sup-ported by eroded columns of deadcoral limestone overgrown withencrusting sponges of scarlet, orgreen and yellow. Clusters ofAgaricia coral grew verticallyfrom the sides of the columnssculptured on both sides of theirthin leaf-like expansions withclose-set series of fine parallel DOCTOR MINER ABOUT TO DIVEHe stands on a rope ladder while thehelmet is being adjusted. The rungs ofthe ladder are a foot apart, enablinghim to measure his depth as he descends. I) I VIS a I\ CORAL CAhDLWS neif2:hbors so perfect 1\-that they could not hetokl apart! As we stood lookiiiu; atthe coral, we siuUlenly be-came aware of a beautifulsight. From the openends of a cluster of littlewhitish tubes, soft tufts,for all the world like pen-ciled color brushes, cameinto view, slowly unfold-ing until flower-like headsof violet and purplespread themselves wddeopen from every tinyaperture. Even while thistransformation was tak-ing place, another clusterbegan to expand, andthen another, until thedead and eroded rockyshafts of coral becamealive with the burstingbloom of animal these were the headsof beautiful sabellid sea-w^orms which are crow^nedwith circlets of delicatepetal-like breathing or-gans expanding to receivethrough their thin, translucent walls life-giving oxygen from the watery flood inwhich the}^ are bathed. One stands amazed at the w^ealth ofdetail which gradually dawns upon the\ision as the attention is directed to themult
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnatural, bookyear1901
