Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-01-21
coLoRs OF h SEA.
Wonders of the Water world Re-
veaIed by a Meridian ocean
Voyage.

Drawn close TO the earth by grayita-
ton, filing the miles Of deep valleys
and abysses. is the wonderful world Of
water. while above 1t. covering every
square inch Of its surface and occa-
casionally Sitting through its waves, is
the thinner medium Of air, says a writer
in the New York Post.
Flying fishes leap into the air and
fshhawks plunge beneath the surface;
the oysters cling higher and higher I'M
I'll the tide leaves them exposed on the
roots Of the mangrove bushes, but,
nevertheless. the inhabitants OF the wa
ter and air trespass little upon each
others province. In many ways we
can compare the two mediums-in
color, for example. OF course, the
! clouds and the color of the sky are often
, reflected in the water, but even as the
air has the glories Of the sunset, so wa
ter has its changing hues, independent
OF mere reflection.
Disregarding the tints of brown and
olive, which muddy sediment from the
land gives to sea water, there are many
other causes for the colors of the ocean,
some Of which are very interesting. On
almost every long voyage at sea, spots
of reddish brown color are noticed at
one time or another. When a few drops
of the diseolored water are examined
under a microscope, myriads OF minute
cylinder-shaped algae are seen, some
separate. some joined together in
scores.
Imagine the number of tiny plants
which 60 to make up half a square mile
of this sea sawdust," as it is called
1t is this organism which has given the
name to the Red sea, although it also
abounds in the waters of the Atlantic
ocean and around Australia.
Sometimes the water far from land
will be seen to be of a chocolate hue for
an extent of several miles. and this is
caused by millions upon millions of
minute one-celled animals, which lash
themselves along. each OF his erratic
individual course, by mean Of the finest
of hair-like threads OF ella.
Tiny shrimps often form bright red
patches known as whales food. upon
which sea-birds feast to repletion.
Even in the icy Arctic teas the water is
often dlscolored with tiny animals and
plants.
A landsman or a person acquainted
with the ocean only from the shore can
never realize what marvellous tints
deep-sea water assumes-blues OF most
wonderful depth and %softness. some
times making the azure Of the sky seem
hard and thin. But IL is in the tropics
or se~mi-tropics that water takes TO itself
the most beautiful colors of its own.
And we need not go beyond the limits
of our own country. for where in the
world can be equaled the panorama OF
Biscayne bay in Florida or the waters
in which are set those jewels of the
south. the Florida Keys?
Green of all shades is the prevailing
color. from the lightest of pea green
to a deep azure green. So intense Is
this tint. that after looking at 1t fxedly
for awhile. the sky will appear to be OF
a deep rose or pink-green's compile
mentary color. As one sails through
these waters a streak or patch OF beauti-
full pink will appear. then a line of gray.
followed by more green and a stretch
of royal purple. while the white caps
blend into every tint, giving a most
beautiful effect. The emerald of these
waters is as intense under the rays OF
a s~earehlight as in the daytime.
These hues are not from the sky,
which may be perfectly clear or hecked
with clouds without exerting any IN
huence on the various tints. Whatever
their origin. they are among the great
est surprises and pleasures in store for
a n~ortherner who visits the tropics.
IS. ua~nmattt pills absolutely cure