Madam How and Lady Why, or, First lessons in earth lore for children . ry good. Thenlook at this stone. What a curious stone ! Did it come from anyplace near here ? No. It came from near Dudley, in Staffordshire,where the soils are worlds on worlds older than theyare here, though they were made in the same way asthese and all other soils. But you are not listeningto me. Why, the stone is full of shells, and bits of coral;and what are these wonderful things coiled andtangled together, like the snakes in Medusas hair inthe picture ? Are they snakes ? If they are, then they must be snakes who hav
Madam How and Lady Why, or, First lessons in earth lore for children . ry good. Thenlook at this stone. What a curious stone ! Did it come from anyplace near here ? No. It came from near Dudley, in Staffordshire,where the soils are worlds on worlds older than theyare here, though they were made in the same way asthese and all other soils. But you are not listeningto me. Why, the stone is full of shells, and bits of coral;and what are these wonderful things coiled andtangled together, like the snakes in Medusas hair inthe picture ? Are they snakes ? If they are, then they must be snakes who have a!ione head; for see, they are joined together at theirlarger ends; and snakes which are braached, toos,which no snake ev» was. i82 MADAM /row AND LADY WHY. Yes, I suppose they are not snakes. And thevgrow out of a flower, too ; and it has a stalk, jointedtoo, as plants sometimes are; and as fishes back-bones are, too. Is it a petrified plant or flower? No ; though I do not deny that it looks like creature most akin to it which you ever saw is What! one of the red star-fishes which one finds onthe beach? Its arms are not branched. No. But there are star-fishes with branched armsstill in the sea. You know that pretty book (andlearned book, too), Forbes British Star-fishes?You like to look it through for the sake of thevignettes,—the mermaid and her child playing inthe sea. THE CORAL-REEF. 183 Oh yes, and the kind bogie who is piping whilethe sandstars dance; and the other who is trying topull out the star-fish which the oyster has caught. Yes. But do you recollect the drawing of theMedusas head, with its curling arms, branched againand again without end? Here it is. No, you shallnot look at the vignettes now. We must mindbusiness. Now look at this one; the Feather-star,with arms almost like fern-fironds. And in foreignseas there are many other branched star-fish beside. But they have no stalks ? Do not be too sure of that. This very feather-star,soon af
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgeology, bookyear1901
