Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-23
FROM AN UNKNOWN WORLD.
Collection Of Fishes Taken Miles Be-
low the Surface.

DR.. Barton w. Evermann. ichthyologist
of the United States fish commission, is on
his way east from San Francisco with the
collection of fishes made by the Albatross
expedition in the Hawaiian Islands during
the past summer. DR.. Evermann will spend
this week at his home in Indiana, and ar
rive in Washington the middle of next
week
The collection he brings with him con-
talns many new and rare specimens and
there are many specimens of the fishes dis
covered In the expedition of last year Many
OF these are remarkable curiosties and the
coioring of the entire collection Is more
brilliant and more varied than that of the
BIRDS OF the world combined. The speci-
mems themselves do not retain their coIors
in the alcohol in which they are preserved
put drawings have been made which show
the beautiful and variegated colorings. -
some OF the varieties were found at the
potion or the sea, at depth at which any
land animal fresh-Water fish would he
crushed to death by the pressure of the
water. AT a depth of four miles the pres
sure OF the water is 5000 pounds to the
square inch, and the Albatross made some
discoveries at that depth fish ten feet
long at that depth would support nearly
5000 tons. The water at that depth is dark
and ice-cold.
Many of the fishes have porous bodies
through which the water passes, the weight
OF the water being thus lessened Some of
them carry phosphorescent lamps, with
winch they search for food. On account of
the expansion of the air these deep-sea,
fishes burst near the surface of the water
and the more delicate specimens especially
disintegrate entirely. 1t Is not among these
specimens that the beautiful coloring is.
found. Below the light level the color is
dark and but slightly varied. The fact that
many varieties have phosphorescent light
has suggested to the scientists that there
is much phosphorescent light at the
great depths of the sea, and as all of the
fishes have eyes there Is certainly some use
for them. Experiments with pilot ogra phic
plates prove that the sunlight Generates
but short distance. SO that 1t must he
upon some other kind Of light, or a new
Kind OF A-ray not known to science, that
the fishes of great depths depend A thou
sand varieties have been taken below two
miles, and Of these little Is known since the
collection Is so small that none has been
dissected on account OF the value and
rarity. Half of the bed Of the ocean lies
below this depth, SO that science has a
wide Held for study. It la not likely that
the larger fishes have been caught in any
of the dredging, being powerful enough to
escape, or wary enough to avoid the net
The trap invented by the Prince of Mo-
naco for deep-sea fishing Is sometimes used.
but that. too. would hardly capture a mon
ster OF the deep. The fact that science has
discovered a thousand varieties of life In
all this expanse of sea Indicates that 1T is
fish world of itself Of which man knows
little or nothing, that the stories of sea
monsters and sea serpents may have some
suggestion OF -truth. even IL they are in
themselves the result of Imagination The
deepest sounding made by the United
may be another and lower world far more
mysterious. ---5,s. -,.; -,