The Penn's Grove record., 1886-01-09
IN THE SEAS ABYsMAL DEPTHS,
\ Walk mid Coral Groves: Shelly
Forms Found in Deep sea Mud: Low
Life.

The results of deep sea dredging tend
to show that the OCEAN bottom, which
has been supposed to be in absolute
darkness, IS lighted by MrlhT1T phos.
uharfS%fqce. DeTieye If we could find
ourselves upon the bed of the sea in >
900 fathoms, we should see brilliant
white lights, casting intense shadows,
Illuminating the bottom in au etectual
manner, The groves of coral would
shine with this light, shrimp and fishes
would dart about, spectre like, over AN
illuminated pathway, each carrying his
own lamp, and the whole ground would
be one glow of phophorescenJ light.
The bottom animals have eyes and
hence they have use fbr them, for ma
ture supports no useless organ. One
<thing that is certain IS that there is
sactically no glimmet of sunlight in
ocliatrF~Newr depths; and unless we
admfSllis be- pre- IS 5oinU such light as
can Il BIZ p lair ! d. Certain animals
retainfa phosphorescent luster even
after being brought to the surface, and
it seems but natural to conclude that in
this way the ocean bottom is lighted.
The dredge comes up laden with its
precious load of deep sea treasures, and
the enthusiastic naturalists crowd
around to explore the contents. Mixed
40 in a mass of mud are brilliant red
starishes, deep purple sea pods, delicae
pink sea anemones, pure white holothll-
rians, and ugly black fishes, all peculiar
in nan respects. While the natuIalists
are busy getting the animals ready for
us to see, let us take a bit of the mud
INTO the laboratory and examine it
through the microscope. 1t will be
found to be composed of countless num-
bers of microscopic shells, the testae of
Forammifera. They are usually COM
posed of carbonate Of lime, but there
are silicious species also, and in the
shallow waters, sandy forms. Some
are smooth and glossy as the best glazed
chinaware, showing beautiful concern
trio rings of different hues, while others
are rough and lobed in a manner which
defes description. tI4Qthers are the
most beautifgyshade of pink, and some
me- i2@%lor most delicate choco-
late brown. We find them tubular,
coiled, crown shaped spherical, ana
oval. aId IN masses OF lobeS upon i0oes.
These beautiful shelly forms are allied
to AmoeDae, so common in fresh water
and on damp leaves, They are one
celled and simple, the lowest forms Of
animal life, yet capable OF producing
these regular and perfect shells. These
are the creatures which have formed
the English chalk cliffs. Moreover,
they are at this moment falling from
tbse-s1Fface 0T~tfe sea in a continual
: shower upon the great ocean abysses,
and in conjunction with the forms
living on the ocean bottom, are forming
vast LAY ers of an oozy, clayey mud,
which. in the proper conditions would
produce great stratas Of chalk.
The animal inhabitant is very simple,
being without any organ, yet capable of
performing all the necessary duties of
life. They can move without muscles,
eat without a mouth, digest without Il
stomach, and feel without nerves.
When they wish to move they send out
a pseudo-po or little foot, which may
be any part of the elastic cell wall, and
then the body actually begins to tlow
from itself into its foot. IF the foot
touches a digestlble object another
smaller one is sent out, and the two
surround the object, join together, and
thus two pseudo pods become one, with
the object within. The ease with which
they can dispose of the cell wall to ac-
complish this makes the whole process
seem like magic. 1t is in these animals
that we see the first formation of tenn
porary organs. ,
AS we 60 higher these become fixed
as permanent organs, and the next
higher step of animal life has one part
fixed as a permanent mouth, another as
a stomach, while other definite parts
afford locomotive power. Here is life
in its simplest form, capable OF using
any part Of its body for a stomach and
any part for a mouth. Although so
simple, they are wonderful because Of
their very simplicity of structure, ae-
companied by such complex powers,