THE EELATIONS OF THE ABYSMAL ZONE 55 



of the deep sea seem to be specially modified types of 

 shallow-water forms. The most probable explanation 

 of the origin of the deep-sea fauna is the one that was 

 put forward by Moseley and has been since supported 

 by almost every authority on the subject, namely, that 

 the fauna of the deep sea has been derived from suc- 

 cessive immigrations of the animals from the shallow 

 water. 



This view is supported by the fact that the deep- 

 sea fauna is much richer in the neighbourhood of land 

 than it is in regions more remote from it. Many 

 examples could be given to illustrate this point. 

 The extraordinary richness of the deep-sea fauna on 

 the western slopes of the floor of the Atlantic has 

 been frequently commented on by the naturalists con- 

 nected with the expeditions of the American vessels, 

 the ' Blake,' the ' Fish Hawk,' and the ' Albatross.' 

 Moseley called attention several years ago to a few 

 localities in the neighbourhood of the land especially 

 rich in deep-sea forms in comparatively shallow 

 waters, such as one near the island of Sombrero in 

 the Danish West Indies, where within sight of the 

 lighthouse a haul of the dredge in 450 fathoms brought 

 up a rich fauna of blind Crustacea, corals, echino- 

 derms, sponges, &c. Another off Kermadec in 630 



