“I do not suppose the polyp has much to boast of in the way of the sense of taste,” laughed Somebody, “but you’ve got to admit that he does his duty as he sees it without shirking.”
“I should say he does,” said Billy. “What else does he do besides working for the good of his family?”
“He has a quite important hand in making the ‘beauteous land,’” said Somebody. “The Great Barrier Reef of Australia, extending a thousand miles along the coast and in some places from one to three miles wide, was made entirely by the Polyps. Also the keys of Florida, as well as the Everglades, are made entirely upon coral foundation.”
“That is very interesting,” said the boy named Billy. “But if there is so much of it why is it so expensive?”
“There’s only one kind that is precious,” said Somebody. “That is the corallium rubrum of the Mediterranean Sea. It was once supposed to be endowed with sacred properties of a mysterious nature; the Mandarins of China wear coral buttons made from it as their badge of office. There is also a very rare black coral which makes its home in the warm water of the Great Australian Barrier Reef. The Italians are the greatest coral workers, making a most valuable industry of making jewelry and buttons and other small articles.
“There’s a lot more to learn about this subject, but that’s all I am able to tell you just now,” said Somebody.
“Thanks,” said the boy named Billy. “I’ll read up on it.”