The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-22
IN THE OCEAN DEPTHS.
WONDERS or ANIMAL LIFE FOUyD
IN THE WATERS.
Struggle Amidst n Dense Population tn.
Dark Spaces Lighted by Torch Fearing
mals-Decp Sea- Es pioratlons.

been the subject of most fruitful in
yestigation, under the auspices OF thi,
government Discoveries thus mad.
have revealed much respecting the hIth
erto unknown fauna and flora Of three.
fourths OF the earths total area. A
more fascinating stud can scarcely be
imagined. 1t has disclosed the fact that
the superficial layer Of the ocean swarms
| with life. often packed so densely that
| the bulk OF animals S actually greater
than that Of water ,'hese creatures. of
numerous species, are found at the sur
/ face on calm days. Sometimes they form
! wel-dehned streams miles in length, or
| give color to great patches Of sea. At
| the least ripple OF VIVID they sink To the
| depth Of few fath)ms, out Of reach
| OF the disturbance.
These animals, for the most part, have
no swimming powers; they drift help
lessly at the mercy Of winds and cue
rents. Their coloring s In harmony with
the sea, generally pale blush ana translu-
cent. AS rule. the are not noticea-
bic by day, but at might most OF them are
brilliantly phosphore5cent. emitting a
golden. greenish. or silvery light. The
Jelly fishes appear then as luminous balls,
Portuguese men-o-wsr are like so many
hre-balloons. while certain species Of crus-
taceans shed light IF brilliant emerald
green. Meanwhile ilnumerabie yegeta-
BILE organisms, 90 simple in structure as
to be each but sirgle cell. contribute
their tiny lamps to the illumination Of
the ocean. In this surface life crusta-
ceans are most conspicuous, and among
them chief in point 4 numbers are the
sO-called "copepods" These are very
smpll shrin1p-lke creatures, many OF
them microscopic. Tie main purpose OF
their existence seems TO be to serve as
food for the larger animals. OF one spe-
cies the mackerel ar very fond. Whole
cargoes OF that fish are sometimes spoiled
by copepods Of this Kind, bright red In
color, which rot the stomachs OF the
dead mackerel. The nrger crustacea in
clude a host OF predsceous forms, which
are the ecayengers OF the peiagic waters.
Ships often sail for days through wide
stretches Of ocean which are. cOntinu-
ously covered with yellowish or reddish
animal mush," for he most part COM
posed OF copepods
This drift life Of tie surface includes
jelly fishes Of many sorts. Some, called
"ctenophores," are rridescent, ike so
many fragments Of rainbow fiOating
others. termed "velellas," paddle about
in schools by means OF their tentacles
and are so delcately organized that waves
of moderate size destroy them; others yet,
known to science as 'siphonOphores," are
tube shaped and are sometimes found in
such numbers as 10 extend in compact
masses over large areas. Conspicuous in
this strange fauna are javeiin-shaped
translucent worms, about half an inch
4 sine
OF the mollusks Of the ocean drift the
most important are the floating snGis
called "pteropods." Some Of them are as
big as good-sized clans. They feed chief
~ on the copepods. on warm and calm
days the surface swarms with foraminl-
fera-almost microscopic animals, with
limy shells OF ever so many beautiful
forms, through holes in which the tiny
tenants project delicate arms. The shells
Of these crea lures 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 re-
semble the bugs which skate about on
island ponds. Like the latter. they can
dive, but ordinarily they stay on the sur
face. Nowhere else Is the struggle for
existence so fierce as among these animals
of the ocean The larger creatures feed
on the smaller ones. the bigger crusta-
ceans taking the most active part in the
destruction of life. The population is only
limited by the food supply. How plentiful
the food is may be judged by taking a
small quantity Of apparently 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 II is in reality broth. Prof.
Hensen has reckoned that the Baltic sea
produces an amount Of organic substance
nearly equal TO that which can be OBJ
tanned from an equal area OF meadow
land.
The method adopted for gathering in
the surface drift life Of the ocean Is to
tow net of fine gauze from boat NOV
ing slowly. a single small netful thus
collected In the Baltic was counted and
found to contain $1,000 crustaceans, 10000
other animals ana about 100000 organ
isms of various sorts in addition. Most of
the creatures described are composed al
most wholly Of water having scarcely
more than one per cent. OF animal tissue.
Whales depend for sustenance largely up
on the crustaceans and pteropods which
feed on the diatoms that propagate to
certain seas. Wide stretches of the Arc
tic and Antarctic are often changed by
living masses of diatoms into thick,
dark slime-the black water" OF voyasers.
The filnty shells OF these curious little
plants eventually sink 10 the bottom and
form the well-known ''Giatom oOze' which
covers parts Of the ocean floor.
In various parts of the ocean, par
ucularly in the tropics, are found enor-
nous drifting masses OF kind or weed
called "sargassum," that grows and prop
agateS while floating. II a piece OF this
weed be placed In jar OF sea water large
enough TO permit 1t to expand, it reveals
forms OF the utmost beauty AZ first
glance il seems uniuhabited, but the OBJ
server has only to shake 1t and ever so
many animals of various kinds and col
ors-crabs, marine worIls nollusks, &c,
are seen rushing about, eager 10 hide
Many of them are translucent. Those
which are colored seek protection in such
portions of the weed as are tinted suita-
bly, for concealing them. In the midst OF
the Atlantic vast accumulation or sar-
gassum forms what is known as the
"Sargasso sea- The same weed grows
attached to rocks in the West Indies
and on the Florida reefs. Evidently its
pelagic habit is one that has been ac-
duired.
When the pelagic animals die they sink
slowly TO the bottom Of the ocean, where
their flesh serves as food for the crea-
lures OF the depths. while their shells go
70 make up the pavement OF the sea
floor. Below 1900 or perhaps LOO feet
from the Iurface there is no life until
the bottom is reached, but the ocean floor
has a fauna Of its own. This abyssal
fauna is very peculiar. including many
types that are extremely ancient, as OF
snails. Some of them actually resemble