Chapter XVII 



INTO THE DEPTHS 



No ONE has yet been able to penetrate In person the 

 abyssal depths of the ocean, yet we have means of 

 knowing that those regions support a strange and won- 

 derful life. Nearly all parts of the sea have been 

 sounded; many areas have been dredged; consequently, 

 our views as to the relief of the floor and the types of 

 animals associated with It are gradually becoming 

 clearer. Of course this does not mean that we are 

 acquainted with the habits and histories of those ani- 

 mals; those things probably will take many years to 

 obtain, if, Indeed, such a thing Is possible at all; but 

 from the facts already collected, it would not be hard 

 to guess hew some of them live. When the vast extent 

 of the ocean Is considered, the number of soundings 

 seem comparatively few, and for that reason it has 

 often been pointed out that our knowledge concerning 

 the depths Is very fragmentary and limited. In a sense, 

 this is true. On the other hand, If the extent of the 

 ocean be great, the uniformity of conditions over vast 

 areas Is likewise great. A law seems to prevail that the 

 deeper one goes, the more identical are the species. If 

 one could walk around the world on the bed of the 

 ocean, he would find the same type of animals. The 



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