THE TEEMING LIFE OF THE WATERS 



by regular fishermen, putting out nets to catch these 

 fish by which they make their living. With them and 

 through them, they benefit by this intense life which 

 the sea affords in unsparing profusion. 



At different times and in different places I have 

 watched men fishing for sardines, anchovies, herrings 

 and mackerel, all fish which, when very young, live 

 upon tiny Crustacea, and other small creatures spread 

 in myriads over the bosom of the waters. In certain 



Fig. 6. — A Ctenophore, or comb-jellyfish, Venus's Girdle. The animal 

 is over a yard in length. 



carefully chosen places, I have seen great systems 

 of nets, set out not far from the shore, to catch the 

 bigger and stronger fish which hunt down and feed 

 upon the smaller species. Occasionally, I have seen 

 still more powerful creatures, large sharks, porpoises 

 and dolphins, which, in their turn, seek to devour the 

 smaller fish. The sharks pursue the tunnies, the 

 tunnies pursue the sardines, and the sardines eat the 

 little Crustacea which feed upon the floating unicellular 

 organisms. Such, in a nutshell, is the picture of this 

 constant chase after food, the larger ever pursuing the 

 smaller, which makes up the lives of this vast host of 



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