Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-12-06
DJWN IN THE SEA.
The ships that sink. Eaten Tn
by Fish,

/
by Fish
Prot A, u. Venlll Of Yale college
described before the New York Academy
OF Sciences tho physical and geological
character OF the sea bottom of our coast,
especially that which lies beneath lhe
Glli stream, lilo made 1000 obser-
yalions last summer for the United
States fish commissioners, lilo has
cruised from Labrador TO Chesapeake
hay aud about 200 miles out 10 sOa,
About GO miles outside OF Nantucket ID
u streak OF yGry cold water, and animals
dredged mp Are like those caught In tho
waters OF Greenland, Spitzbergen, or
Siberia. The water Il fifty iathoms
deep, and the bed Of tho ocean IL Of
clay, Bowldera weighing 800 or 1000
pounds are dfedged up, Pfoi. Verfill
believes that they are brought down by
iceberga from tue Arctic regions aud
dropped when the Ice melta, The bowl
dNrs are found as far south a. Long
Island Further out to sea, ~ to l2O
miles south from tho southeastern coast
OF New England, the bottom OF the sea,
which has inclined very gradually east
ward, forming table land, takes sud
don dip downward, 30 that whereas tho
water Oh the edge OF the blum is 100
iathoms deep, at tho bottom OF the
basin II Is 1000 iathoms deep. Tho
slope Ia as high aud as steep as Nj,
Washington, aud on It's summit which
is level, u diver, could he 90 to 30 loA u
depth, could not put out his hand with
out touching living creature, The
bottom OF tho sea IL covered Just there
with fauna which has mover been be-
fore found outside OF the Mediterranean
sea, tho Gu Of Mexico, the Indies, or
other tropical regions. Tue nunbor OF
species OF iish dredged up is 500, and
over half OF them have never before
been seen by naturalisls, Seventy kinds
OF fish, ninety OF cmstacea, aud go
molusks haye been added to our fauna.
The age Of many OF the specimens
shows that they must DO permanent in
that region. The tmwl lot down from
the ships by q mile OF rope brings up
ten OF living aud dead crabs, shrimp,
siar.hsh, aud as the irawl siilpiy
scrapes over small surface, the ocean
bed is plainly carpeted with creatures.
Sharks are seen by thousands in this
region, and countless dolphins, but II
seems strange that not II iish.bone Is
ever dredged up. A piece Of wood may
be dredged up once year, but 1t Is
loueycoIbed by the boring shell-hsh,
and falls to pieces at the touch OF tho
haud. This shows what destruction is
constantly going on in these depths. II
Il ship sinks at sea with all on board, it
would be eaten up by fish, with the
exception of the meta and that would
corrode and disappear. Not bone oi
human body would remain after few
days. 1t is constant display OF the
law Of the survival OF the tittest. Moth
ing made by the hand OF man was
dredged up after cruising for months in
the, track Of ocean vessels excepting
coal clinkers showed overheard from
steamships. Here Prof. Verriil cor
rected himself. Twenty-Five miles from
land he dredged. up an India rubber
doll. That, he said, was one thing the
fish could not eat.
Here the Gulf stream is 40 miles fur
ther west than any map shows, Prof
Verrill continued, and this stream OF
warm water from the south nourishes
the tropical life near Massachusetts,.
The temperature further in shore is So
in August, on the edge of the submarine
Mt. Washington go, and toward the
bottom OF the basin 30', willie further
out to sea the temperature OF the water
grows colder. On the surface the jelly
fish, nautilus, and the Portuguese man.
of war, with other tropical fish, are
found. In this belt the tile-fsh, about
which so much was said year ago,
we're found in immense quantities, but
this summer, although expeditions have
been made for the express purpose OF
catching some, not one could be taken.
Undoubto lily they have been killed to q
fish by q storm which carried the. cold
water into the Gulf stream indeed, it
is known that q cold current of water
resting on the oceans bed may contain
Arctic fish, and current of warm water
floating over it on the surface may be
alive with tropical fish.
As to the quantity of light at the
bottom of the sea there has been much
dispute. Animals dredged from below
100 tathoms either have no eyes, or faint
Indications of them, or else their eyes
are very large and protruding. Crabs
eyes are four or five times as large as
large as those of crab from surface
water, which shows that light is feeble,
and that eyes to be of any use must be
very large and sensitive. Another strange
thing is that where the creatures IN
those lower depths have any color, it is
of orange or red, or reddish orange. Sea
anemones, corals, shrimp and crabs have
this brilliant color. Sometimes it is
pure red or scarlet, and in many speci-
mems it inclines toward purple. Not a
green or blue fish is found. The or.
ange red is the fsh's protection, for the
blush green light in the bottom OF the
ocean makes the orange or red fish ap-
pear of neutral tint, and hides it from
enemies. Many animals are black, 9TH
ers neutral in color. Some fish are
provided with boring tails so that they
can burrow in the mud. Finally, the
surface of tho submarine mountain is
covered with shells, like an ordinary
sea beach, showing that it is the eating
house of vast schools of carnivorous
animals. A goldfish takes whole oys-
tor into its mouth, cracks the shells,
digests the meat, and spits out the
rest. Crabs crack the shells and suck
out the meat. In that way come
whole mounds of shells that are dredged
up.
Eastern Hospitality.