Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-31

ect Of most fruitful
Investigations, under
zI- s q: .n.s's:' Of Ds TIL.
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sd|MR soveries thus made
~ WIk6H have revealed much
-. AtRSG respecting the hith-
..MZE trto unknown fauna
UNNSkr and nora Of three
NNEIll fourths OF tn e
H@~ earth's total area
A more fascinating
study can scarcely be imagined. It has
disclosed the fact that the superficial layer
Of the ocean swarms with life, often packed
SO densely that the bulk Of animals is
actually greater than that of water. These
creatures, Of numerous Species are found
at the surface on calm days. Sometimes
they form well-deflned streams miles in
length. or give color to great patches of
sea. At the least ripple Of wind they sink
to the depth Of a few fathoms, out of
reach Of the disturbance.
These animals, for the most part, have
no swimming powers: they drift helplessly
at the mercy Of winds and currents Their
coloring is in harmony with the sea, gen.
orally gale blush and translucent As a
rule. they are not noticeable by day, but at
night most Of them are brilliantly phos-
phorescent, emitting a golden, greenish, or
silvery light. The jelly fishes appear then
as luminous balls, Portuguese memo war
are like SO many fire-balloons. while GER
tain species Of crustaceans shed a light Of
brilliant emerald green. Meanwhile in
Vulnerable vegetable organisms so
simple in structure as to be each but a
single cell. contribute their tiny lamps to
the illumination Of the ocean. In this sur
face life crustaceans are most conspicuous,
and among them chief in point Of numbers
are the so-called "copepods." These are
very small shrimp-like creatures, many Of
them microscopic. The main purpose Of
their existence seems to be to serve as food
for the larger animals. OF one species the
mackerel are very fond. Whole cargoes of
that fish are sometimes spoiled by cope
pods OF this kind. bright red in color, which
rot the stomachs OF the dead mackerel
The larger crustacea include a host of pre-
daceous forms. which are the scavengers Of
the pelagio waters Ships often sail for
days through wide stretches Of ocean which
are continuously covered with q yellowish
or reddish animal mush." for the most
part composed Of copepods.
Curious and Interesting.
This drift life Of the surface includes
jelly fishes Of many Sorts Some, called
'ctenophores." are iridescent, like SO many
fragments OF rainbow floating; Others
termed "velellas." paddle about In schools
by means Of their tentacles and are so DELI
cately organised that waves of moderate
size destroy them; others yet, known to
science as "sphonophores." are tube shaped
and are sometimes found in such numbers
as to extend in compact masses over large
areas. Conspicuous in this strange fauna
are javelin-shaped translucent worms about
haIf an inch long, with peculiar darling
movements.
OF the mollusks Of the ocean drift the
pteropods. Some Of them are as big as
sood-sized clans. They feed chiefly on the
copepods. On warm and calm days the sur
face swarms with foraminifera-almost mi
croscopic animals, with limy shells of ever
so many beautiful forms, through holes in
which the tiny tenants project delicate
arms. The shells of these creatures falling
to the bottom when they die, fairly pave the
greater part Of the oceanic floor, much Of
the same sort Of tesselation being furnished
by the pteropods. The only insects of the
open ocean are skating bugs. which RESENT
BILE tine bugs which skate about on inland
ponds. Like the latter, they can dive but
ordinarily they stay on the surface. No
where else Is the struggle for existence SO
nerce as among these animals Of the ocean
The larger creatures feed on the smaller
ones, the bigger crustaceans taking the
most active part In the destruction OF life.
The population is only limited by the food
judged by taking a small quantity Of ap-
parently clear sea water and leaving 1t in
a shallow pan over night On examination
the next morning the bottom Of the pan Will
be found covered with animal and vegetable
fragments. 1t is in reality a broth. Prof.
Hensen has reckoned that the Baltic sea
produces an amount Of organic substance
nearly equal to that which can be obtained
from an equal area OF meadow land.
Like Swarminx Tenements.
The method adopted for gathering in the
surface drift life of the ocean is to tow a
net Of fine gauze from a boat moving slowly.
A single small nstful thus collected In the
Baltic was counted and found to contain
$4,000 crustaceans, 10000 other animals and
about 100000 organisms Of various sorts
In addition. Most Of the creatures described
are composed almost wholly Of water, hav-
ing scarcely more than one per cent of ami
NAL tissue Whales depend for sustenance
largely upon the crustaceans and pteropods
which feed on the diatoms that propagate
to an extent we'll nigh inconceivable in GER
tain seas. Wide stretches Of the Arctic and
Antarctic are often changed by living ma sses
Of diatoms into thick. dark slime-the
BLACK water" Of voyagers. The finty shells
Of these curious little plants eventually sink
to the bottom and form the weIl-known
"diatom ooze' which covers parts Of the
In various parts of the ocean, particu-
1arly In the tropics, are found enormous
drifting masses Of a kind Of weed called
''sargassum" that grows and prupasates
while floating. If a piece Of this weed be
placed in a jar of sea water largo enough
TO permit 1t to expand, 1t reveals forms Of
the utmost beauty. At llrst glance 1t seems
uninhabited, but the Observer has only to
shake 1t and ever SO many animals Of vari-
Gus kinds and colors-crabs, marine worms
mollusks, &C., are seen rushing about
eager to hide. Many of them are trans
lucent. Those which are colored seek pro-
lection in such portions Of the weed as are
tinted suitably for concealiIg them. In the
midst Of the Atlantic vast accumulation
Of sargassum forms what is knowA as the
"Sargasso sea-" The came weed grows at
tached to rocks In the West Indies and on
the Florida reefs. Evidently it's pelagic
habit is one that has been acquired.
Deep Sea Fauna.
When the pelagic animals die they sink
slowly to the bottom Of the ocean. where
their flesh serves as food for the creatures
Of the depths. while their shells go to make
up the pavement Of the sea floor. Below
Loo or perhaps 1900 feet from the surface
there Is no life until the bottom is reached,
but the ocean floor has fauna of it's own.
This abyssl fauna is very peculiar, in
Guiding many types that are extremely an
resemble those of the cretaceous age. There
IL no vegetation whatever. for lack Of light,
but certain animal forms are weird coun-