The sun., 1896-03-15
FANTASTIC MARINE LIFE.
THE shMENEsS OF THE OCEAN IS
an ON ITS SURFACE.
Revelations Made nv the Dredgo OF fscss
ence-Anctnoncs aud Cornis-Thc Plunge
Into the Mysteries OF the Greater Depths

HntO Afstcries tnc Srcnter ueptnp
From the San trGncisco Chronicle.
Within the last quarter OF n century science
has claimed the watery world n part OF her
heritage equally with terra frma. The territory
has been explored aud mapped out. Dredge and
sounding apparatus have been at work. Tho
ocean bed has revealed its varying level of hill
and dale. table land aud abyss. From a vass
array OF facts relating to different depths
knowledge OF its currents and OF the varying
temperature and salinity of its waters hns grown
TO something like complete whole. Tho Nor,
man conquest Ia not moro important landmark
in English history than is tho Challenger ex'bc-
dition In the story of deep sea exploration.
The scientists who cruised for four year un-
der the leadership of Sir Wyville Thomso n saw
the fog banks OF obscurty roll away; the hredge
brought them tribute OF strange forms Of lifo
upon the like OF which the eye OF rnan had
never before rested. The dark, urfathom'd
caves OF ocean" merited the epithot no longers
tho deepest abyss sounded. though fvs
miles OF line out before the usufA indications
of having touched the bottom we re noted. By
an ingenious contrvance the DIRE Age brought to
the surface each time a sample o the clay, oozuS
or gravel upon which 1t Ind reIted. But while
knowledge in all Its branches tias grown deapeN
and richer for tho spoil which watery provrnoc6
have yielded. our acouaintanpe with the won,
ders of animal life has adva hced by leaps ana
bounds. 1t has been tho work of twenty
years to sum up In twic as many volumes
the discoveries made by the Challenger
alone. 1t becomes mole evident that the
sea is the one far distant ancestral homo OF
animals In general. OF. those found in fossil
form. all tho most ancient ones seem to havo
made their home in the, waters. Tho changing
level OF the land may from tim to time havs
insulated a bay or inlr and turned 1t into . lake
or inland sea. Parted from tho ocean, IL WA
ters would become fresh. but so gradu ally thas
the fish and other occupants had time TO adapt
themselves to ner conditions. But further
STEP and a long one, needed before the nsh
could take possesbio of another element. Per.
haps the tadpole an its change to the frog throws
out hint Of how 1t came about. The African
mudflsh. when the lake in which 1t lives dries
up. buries itself in the mud. and as It's glls are
now useless breathes air. using It's swim blad-,
der as n lung. Here We seem to have . fsh on;
the high road to become land animal.
Seen from our own standpoint, nothing could
be more uniform than the sea. Ono mile oe
gray heaving water is the counterpart Of tho
last and Of the many that to follow. But
there is no sameness about the inmates of tho
sea: life below water seems to have shaken Of
some invisible shackles, so varied, and often,
agicinn's wand could have conjured the spirit
OF being into stranger guisc Free swimming
of the sea have their own domains. whose view5
less bounds they do not pass. The weed grown
rocks, covered by the flowing tide or left bare
AS 1t retires are peopled by races which know
nothing of life beyond the shadows. With ln-i
creasinH depth Of water the growth Of seaweeds
upon them for shelter or food do not stray QUO
of reach Of their groves and pastures.
the shores of every continent, are left behind,
is entered where all is new and strange. Tho
creatures which make their home upon the sea
latter again are totally unlike those wb ich haunt
the topmost story, and. like the Jelly fish swim
floors which we have pictured. the zones may be
SO many thgt house OF twelve stories would
tiers poyulous with those atoms OF sentient
jelly to VIII CHI nn uralists have given the names
Guas na or ss lls hsih OF tss easke
with walls delicately freited and rarely sculp
siowi; through @ II the % W"er to % add R pew % naries
OF lime or flint to tho ooze. which Is Is nothing
more than mass ," Of skeletons OF It's % myriad
| have raised ooze above water aud turned it into
but the .hns srye%s its Of tras eH T.
| vast cemetery Of animacnlu.. What the in-
nnitely little may accomplish is shown BY the
| consists of this soft. whitsh mud. The ooze has
been brought up from depth OF nearly three
rail- Shells F are corroded and dissolved in ,heis
descent to such an all but fathomless abyss.
and the whales. The sharks skeleton. being
that the defunct tiger of the is represented
, only by his teeth in he same way the ear bones
ontIsstcd te every otter @ part Of the monsiers
framework This wear and tear of surface life.
adj G to the T pile s reach ' to within % few faith
OF os of the suriIace THIS = the SSpPor1pnit,y
ssers In ha the hnp of f GesSSs
lnRnbpr h.
stracts lime from the water. and ben.
sh's BY the support thus gained ned till; dying, ig
comes broad and massive, and spreads by
| growth of stem anG branch till 1t nenrs the sur
face. The, polypes can carry the work no fur.
| ,her but the storms do the rest. Fragments are
told SO often thai we need follow it no further to
! story has been told SO often that we need follow
il no further to tell how the reef hecomcs:an
! bird bring the germs of shrub and tree. till.
sheltered by the coc9annt paims. rise the huts
| owe their very being to the coral poypc.
| In our own seas cornls are few and little nos
akin. may be called their representatives,. They
are the flowers which brighten ih" rock pools.
tide has len. and with slow waving of arms.
crimson. or piEk. or grass green. feeling Tor any
ins invo shri,np r,y H- otter swmer
win h comes into con tact with those soft moving
tentacle. .\"tiy" enough ~" moment uriore.
ouc touch der rives IL OF all power of inOve-
| mrnt. For each -: tn" an"mon"'S i","rs J.. an
nr-cuai Of offensive wraprn>. containing n bat.
i.ry of pointed threads c"i."d NJ IN 'ir right
! moment comes. when they nre shot ont 10 har-
poon IL" VICTIM. ! h" prey Is .i"rr" hy
Thousand >!cw,css darts. "rrh on" h"rnra to
! give 1t surcr hold, Tbs T. In" rNpiannriyn Of
tie sudden rarnivsis whicl even a su.,Il fish
mas feel ma this j. WI; III" 'ir' IN Sii"Es to
those rnddy t"ntacir,. u, our own i.ugers do IL
W" tOuVl them.
The irllytsh pul-niiuE through She Nntcr
wtl t., ira lucent COM" plIt irIln o. i'!llHcIcB
hears hU' smu. ,mhluuc- 40 l.rl"mone.
Hut, ns as matter "f fact, II one" trr'n Il
part Il IA very different 'u'li, dual v Nos" APP
pearHucr show. it, L.H~i H. wi.h tAc anrmnns
AZ "a glance. The vnrc'l r'o'k IL stationary.
fixed 10y i;s stalk IL" JrIi"r Il arr set tree. as
sous and A'r,.lt"rs s"n,r he ancestral lone
strad>. tor',o the scr. aud i,'ald Lew '''i!c-
M"uis IN. lr''y N though i "a Fu,"kly
comes 10 !-rri When wa>'."d Ashprr. Is >"mc-
ih'"E innr" than wni'r rnH .i,"'". ! u" =: at:
/ lml, luiy.m can l0a,t ut l''',"c U"hlng OF
. tn' ua. .urr ul sens" urcHuS. Uu' 'Hr t'llNnsh
20 .- 'u ."c the w'r'i, AMI !..H ',' ln"alshcd