Таємничий острів

           Itiscertain,afterwhatwehaveseen,thatanimalsarenumerousinthisisland,andwhatismorestrange,thatthespeciesareextremelyvaried.Thereisareasonforthat,andtomeitisthatLincolnIslandmayhaveformerlybeenapartofsomevastcontinentwhichhadgraduallysunkbelowthePacific."

           "Then,somefineday,"saidPencroft,whodidnotappeartobeentirelyconvinced,"therestofthisancientcontinentmaydisappearinitsturn,andtherewillbenothingbetweenAmericaandAsia."

           "Yes,"repliedHarding,"therewillbenewcontinentswhichmillionsandmillionsofanimalculaearebuildingatthismoment."

           "Andwhatarethesemasons?"askedPencroft.

           "Coralinsects,"repliedCyrusHarding."ByconstantworktheymadetheislandofClermont-Tonnerre,andnumerousothercoralislandsinthePacificOcean.Forty-sevenmillionsoftheseinsectsareneededtoweighagrain,andyet,withthesea-salttheyabsorb,thesolidelementsofwaterwhichtheyassimilate,theseanimalculaeproducelimestone,andthislimestoneformsenormoussubmarineerections,ofwhichthehardnessandsolidityequalgranite.Formerly,atthefirstperiodsofcreation,natureemployingfire,heaveduptheland,butnowsheentruststothesemicroscopiccreaturesthetaskofreplacingthisagent,ofwhichthedynamicpowerintheinterioroftheglobehasevidentlydiminished—whichisprovedbythenumberofvolcanoesonthesurfaceoftheearth,nowactuallyextinct.