New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-20
c,rPN ARINE ANIMAL STRIFE
--,r,r,.E sTRCGGI.ES OF \ WARFARE
r,i,T KNOWS no ARMISTICE
T!jAT kNU'
49,, The Spectator.

as i-nl.-irN.ive nliCGS are inevitably impressed
-, -. s,icnAn grand eGr If tie SEA. some Shuc-
80 IFS awful loneliness. It's apparent i'll nit
-, lis n. vi br0ndinE. Hccless mystery in
So n.hers are most affected ny its unChain-
,rrcy ;he terror " its gigantic hiluNs. its
~ Nas,rihlc icstructiVcncSs il storms. Yet
M F, less numerous class. PONDER over It's
oN'.,~di,i,s 4 ray less gloom and uniform cold.
80 unihinkahle prcSSures bear upon AZ bod
N a that CYLINDERS Of massive steel ar, Nat
-; into disks and water percolates through
~ cs ~ metal rs though they We're Of muslin
o., there is yet another aspect OF the oceanic
po.aers tha: engages the meditations Of com
.Stiyrly few. and this is perhaps The most
naryellouS o! them oil.
~Tacij and reposcful. tempest-toSscd or cur
..a.1a,hjrIed the unchancCable yet unrcs,inS
--t,cc If the ocean reveals u the vOyagcr no
,s;nr 81 what IS going on below It's mobile
TX ana even when furioWed deepest by the
I-htv hut invisible plOughShare Of thr storm.
49,. slght Is the effect felt twenty feet deep.
o. IL, fh3,e soundless ahySSrS Of shade beneath
- waves q Mar is being n,CSSanty Maget
~bicb knows no truce. ruthless, unendinG and
~niyarSaL on earth the struggle for existence =
,s--ibl. 1ne. exciting all our SNmpathlcS when
-, ,ri,rsss It's pi:ileSSnrSs. being ourselves by
s,,, h3upy accident outside tn, arena. Nature.
- am tooth and claw WccdiH& out the uUnt
- ~ oi,erAt.In = her mex laOle laws raises
MANY doubling question IN gentle souls rs to
WV All this SUFFERING should oo necessary. They
go hut n portion ~ Tho reversed pattern woven
Nv tbs eternal looms But The fauna e the land
arc l, IN enormous majority hcr0ivurOuS, mIld
y their habits and terrified at the sight VI
blood Even me Carnvora. 1ercr and raN"nouS
a. ar, their instincts. io not devour one another
ex--pt in 2 faV .nSCu dcaNt and abnormal n ScS.
s1,h as wolves driven mad by starvation. Much
rs g. they eat their oNn offspring. although
therc are many Instances ~ this hlieouS appe-
,i,a among the herhiyoreS which are familiar To
r1,s Il Us In striking contrast 10 these cOndi-
lions the tribes n ocean are all devOurers
Q. each other and with the exception Of the
mammalia and the sharks. make no distinction
N favor 4 their own fruit one single instance
,-org the inhabitants # the sea furnishes us
with variation. The hal,cone dugorE or man
atea (S.rcnia). now nearly extinct, are without
doubt caters n heritage only. This they gather
along the shores wh0S, waters are their habitat.
or Gull from the shallow sea bottoms. For all the
rest they are mutually dependent upon each
others flesh for NE unscrupulous. unsats1ed
and Wig lrouS beyond belief 'NSe NictiS' Is their
motto. and the absence " all other food their
sole and sufficient excuse
SEEMS CRUEL Is BENETlCENT.
Viewed dispassiona,ely this law Of interdc-
penience direct 5 a h"nefcent one in spite Of its
apparent cruelty. Vas; as Is IN" sea- the fecun-
dity u most If is dvnizens is we'll known 10 bt
50 great that with 3Ut effective checks always in
Operation il must rapidly h.Comc putrid and
pcs,ilen;al from thc immense accumulation II
dcCayiug ANNA! matter. As things are. the life
Of a FISH from first 90 last is a series Il miracu-
lous es-rpoS. As ova. thor enemies are 81
numerous. even their own PARENTS grccdy d.
yourlng the luickenlng spawn. that it is hard TO
understand n0| any arr overlooked and allowed
% become fish Yet as fry. after providing food
f5r Countless hJrdes e hungry foes they are
still sufficiently numerous - impress the mag
nation Us being IN number ike the sands of the
sea And So always being ieNuurrd by millions.
they progress toward maturity. at which per
hals ol- b.lhonth 4 those deposited as oya ar
ryc. This .ntnt->.Mal remnant is mighty
host requiring such supplies + living organisms
for Us daily food would make an astronomer
dizzy - enumerate And every one is rat and
vigorous. must oo. since none but the fattcst
can have survived Their glittering Inyr.ads
move ~ inyStrriuuS.y ordered march along reg
u!ar routes. StIN furnishing food for an escort Of
MSa'ahl- monsters such as whales sharks.
eie" "h nile .,Slous ~ sea fowl above descend and
DANGEROUSLY take their tiny toll. In due season
the! army" within the range II man. He spreads
MS acts anu loads his vessels. but all mis- spoils
however great they may appear - him. are but
tne crumbs D; the feast the skimmngs Of the
pot
This marvellous system IF supply and demand
Is u courS~. seen in its highest Development
rear land, ~ az any rate where the bed Of the
D. D. y comparatively near the surface. as on the
hahhs o. Newfoundland. the Agulhas Banks and
n@h' ctherS But in the deepest waters Of the
"eah' Tar from any shore. there are immense
numbers 4 swift predatory fish. such as the
V'H'O, th- dolphin cOryphRnaD and the alba
cure. MdWTalia also like the pOrpoise. gram
pU' ana r0rI1ai require enormous supplies OF
-Sn iVr thrlr susteDanCe and never fail 10 find
mem. As We ascend the scale Of size the struS-
e'v ''''iHrS majestic war II TitanS, such as
~ arena on earth has seen since the Dcluge
!he Imagination recoils dsrnay ed before the
uoush' 10 such spectacle is afforded by
we gigantic oarhal0t descending TO the murky
SeP'hs "ncre in awful state the hideOus kraken
D'o'iS' NJ other name BELTS this inexpressible
".''''rr As We'll As the old Morse epithet be-
s""ed IN 'ygonc days upon the greatest Of the
ToluS' Dy terrified fsher-folk OF Scandinavia.
,aS'' i'rmiess and Unsuitable. ne Crouches in
.4'St iathomleSs silenc-s like the living embodi-
80 u SIN an eVer-CraVing ahySmal mouth
surrounded BY q Medusa-iike web Of unresting
.-"s us enormous haccid bulk needs a con-
SlUaI holocaust 20 supply its food Of digestive
..lCes. and that need is abundantly supplied.
.nsh comes the doughty leviathan from above.
sh1 In nOlseless majesty IF power. disdainng
eiiuee. rushes straight 10 the attack, every