The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-11-10

anu uncdnny. sunlight docs not redcn
below 1000 fathoms; beyond this no
plant life exists, and the various forms
of life prey upon one another. Among
the deep sea fishes especially there is
constant warfare
! Assuming that we are walking on the
ocean bottom at the depth of over mile,
we move cautiously along in water icy
cold, and suddenly are confronted with
blaze of light, and find ourselves in a
field of light-givers. Imagine cornfeld
with stalks from two to four feet in
height, the tips cleaning with light and
waving gently two and fro. Such an
appearance the fields of umbellularia
present. OFF St. Vincent the Challenger
dredged in field of light-giving, gor-
| gonias with stems about two feet long.
The trawl came up choked with them
from region mile below the surface,
| each one emitting vivid lilac colored
| light.
Above this forest of living lights
strange and weird fishes are passing,
which we recognize as forms that have
been dredged from great depths by the
"Albatros," challenger" and others.
One, the Chiasmodon, dashes by emit
ting light from it's own body, and won
der of. wonders! we see it seize fish five
times its own bulk and draw itself over
it like glove. Its jaws by special ar
rangement separate, and the mouth is
cavern of india rubber-like possibilities.
similar fish, Malacosteus, is of a rich
black velvet hue, and as it poises we see
upon its head two large lights, One
emits golden light, the other throws
out fitful green rays which have some
hidden meaning in the economy Of ma
ture. Some of the fishes seem to be lit
eral mouths. Such is the Eurypharynx
or pelican fish. The mouth is enormous,
! the bones of the jaw being attached to
the skull by movable joints. so that it has
enormous powers of distention.
A curious black fish called Echiostoma
has its lanterns arranged about it's head;
two are just below the eyes, while there
are several others at various portions of
the head. At depth of two miles we
find the fish Bythites, and at three miles
we shall find others more remarkable.
A hideous. snakelike creature is Stomias,
with pointed teeth and a row of light
along it's ventral surface like the lights
that are seen in dark night in the car
window as the train dashes along. This
fish has been taken from a mile and
quarter beneath the surface by an En-
glish dredger.
Beneath our feet are forms equally
weird, the bottom blazing with light at
every step. Here are phosphorescent
crabs, and seafans that emit golden,
green and lilac hues. Blue scintillations
come from sea pens, while others give
out CLEANS of gold and green. Almost
every animal is light-giver. Some of
the crabs are phosphorescent over the
entire surface; others have their lights
on stalked eyes. while the very mud that
/
would appear to be an essential feature
of the deep sea. We might in this walk
of the imagination descend to depth of
six miles beneath the sea and still find
life..
In all probability the largest and most
remarkable fishes have not been seen,
and escape the dredge. Many of these
strange forms Of the abyssal depths are
types of extinct forms, and we can only
imagine what wonders the deep sea
hides. In the Atlantic and Pacific gil
gantic squids from fifty to seventy feet
in length are found, and glimpses of
strange snake or eellike sharks are sug-
gestive of the uncaught mysteries and
unseen jewellers in the deep sea. Among
the curious light-givers is shark which
was caught by DR.. Bennett. 1t was per-
fectly black but emitted a strange phos
| phorescent light which remained some
time after the animals death The shark
was placed in jar in the cabin of the
vessel, and is described as presenting a
ghostly appearance, emitting rich
| green light almost sufficient to read by.
In descending into the intermediate
depths, the iellyfishes and forms that
live in the open water attract our atten-
ton. Here is jellyfsh, its disk six feet
across. its train of tentacles possibly
emitting vivid light and stretching
away in maze of brilliant lines for per-
haps one hundred feet. Such is the
Cyanea. one of about this dimension be-
ing seen by Mrs Agassiz off Nahant.
Such iellyfish moving through the up
per depths of the ocean, cleaning with
its peculiar and unexplainable light.
might well be compared to a great
comet.
Other forms-huge disks, are the
moons and lesser planets of this subma-
rine world of space. The variety of tints
and colors emitted by the iellytish is al
most beyond comprehension. and so di-
verse are the lights that the belief is
forced upon the beholder that they have
some marked significance in the economy
of nature. One known as Lucernaria
emits pale blush light all over its sur
face Obelia has luminous stem alone.