nly in
warm, clear water. So it is not found in the cold depths of the sea, nor
in the seas near our islands, but in the warm shallow waters near
tropical lands it flourishes so well that it builds up most wonderful
Coral walls. So strong are they that they can defy the terrific force of
the waves.

[Illustration: THE PICTURE STORY OF A CORAL ISLAND.]

Some coral-reefs are of immense size and strength. One, near the coast
of Australia, is nearly a thousand miles in length. These marvellous
works of the polyp are of great use, for they break the force of the
waves, and so make a calm shelter for vessels.

The brilliant masses of Coral make a world of colour in the clear seas
of the tropics, a gay garden inhabited by fishes of gaudy hues. In dull
seas we have, as a rule, dull creatures to match. And in bright, warm,
sunny seas the fishes are also brightly coloured. A dull fish would show
up amid such rich colours, so it is easy to know why Coral fish wear
such fine clothes.

Many of them spend all their time among the Coral, their food being the
living tips of the Coral "branches," which they nip off with fine, sharp
teeth. Others have teeth like millstones, fit for crushing the hard
Coral, and eating the fleshy body of the polyp within.

Blue, red and yellow, striped and spotted, and of wonderful shapes, are
the fish which swim in these coloured gardens of the sea. Some of them
have golden bands round their bodies, and fine spines which wave in the
water like shreds of weed--all to help them hide in the bright, sunlit
groves of Coral.

Gorgeous Sea-anemones of all shapes and sizes add to the brightness; and
even the Shrimps, Prawns, and Crabs are coloured to fit their
background. Crabs are always surprising us with their queer ways and
quaint "dresses"; and here, among the Coral, it is the same story. For
there are Crabs whose shelly coats are covered with coloured knobs and
spikes, so that the sharpest eye cannot pick them out from the Corals on
which they rest.

EXERCISES

1. How does the Sponge obtain its food? 2. What is Coral? 3. How are
Coral-reefs formed? 4. Why are there no Coral-reefs in our seas?

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Within the Deep, by R. Cadwallader Smith

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