The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-07

evolved and perfected. Indeed, both
on this and the other side Of the At
1antic this interesting and important
study is still employing the energies
OF several workers, although it would
be obviously inappropriate to say
much in this place regarding the lab
ors Of living writers. Evolution and
geographical distribution may. be re
garded as sister branches of geology. as
neither could exist without the other.
and it is difficult to say which is most
indebted to its fellow.
From the subject of the geographical
distribution of animals and plants
there is gradual and imperceptible
transition to the study Of the changes
IN the relative distribution of land
and water, which have taken place on
the surface of the globe during the
later ages of its existence. And al
though this is in reality a geological
rather than biological problem, it
is one intimately connected with the
fauna Of the ocean abysses. The in
teresting results obtained by the
dredging cruises of H NJ. ships Porcu-
pine and Lightning in the summer Of
1868, 1859 and 1870. led to the dispatch
on Dec. u, 1872, of H. NJ S. CHALLENGER
on heightened dredging and eXplor-
ing voyage. which was brought to a
successful termination on May "a,
1876 on the evening of which day the
| corvette anchored at Spithead. The
results Of this cruise revolutionized
previous ideas as to the nature of the
ocean-bed and the fauna Of it's abyssaI
depths, While a vast score Of infOrma-
tion was acquired with regard to
| pelaglc creatures Of all kinds During
the voyage the art Of deep-sea dredg-
ing and sounding was brought nearly
| to its present perfection This and
have brought to our knowledge the
| luminous fishes inhabiting the dark
ocean abysses, and they have also re-
vealed the fact that creatures like the
| sea-lilies, long supposed to be practi-
cally extinct, are still abundant at
suitable depths in the ocean. The pub
lication of the scientific results of the
Challengers cruise commenced in 1880.
and has only recently been completed.
Deep-sea dredging is closely conn scsed with
the establishment of marine biological stations
ard the preservation and breeding of food
fishes and oyster beds. These two are exclu-
sively a product of the reign, and their i'm
portance from both a biological and an eco
nomical point Of view can scarcely be over
rated. Frank BuCkland in the first place, and
Huxley in the second, have, in this depart
ment well shown how men Of the highest sci
entihc attainments can combine the pursuit of
| their own particular studies with others yield
| ing untold advantage to our fisheries.
An equally close connection exists between
deep-sea dredging and the study of the growth
| OF coral islands and coral reefs; a subject
| entering upon the domain of both zoology and
| geology. This, too, is a subject whose devel-
| opnent has taken place during the Victorian
| era, Darwin's well-known volume having ap-
peared in 1851, while Dana's "Corals and
| Coral Islands was published in 1875 That
| the last word has not been said in regard to
| the growth of coral islands is proved by the
| recent partially unsuccessful boring expedi.
| ton to the Barrier Reef of Australia under
| the superintendence of Prof. So.las. To tha
| older geologists it would, doubtless. come as
| n severe shock to learn that our massive
| Palaeozoic and Mesozoc limestones are, m a
| great extent, merely ancient coral reefs yer
! this is only one Of the minor recent discoveries
| connected with the biology Of the reicn
| Although Cuyier had long previously de-
| scribed the fossil mammals of the gypsum
quarries Of Moptmartre, while considerable
amount OF work had already been done on tbe
| remains Of those from the French and German
| Tertiaries, most other extinct Tertiary land
| faunas have been made known since 1897 And
! what an important part the discovery and de-
| scription Of these faunas and floras have
/ played In regard to our, ideas Of the evoll,
| tion of human beings, and also in respect n
| geographical distribution, needs no tel!ine
F! here. Falconer and Cautley's Fauna Antioua
&Salensis, in which are depicted the extinc;