150 THE FAUNA OF THE DEEP SEA 



' this diminution in tlie number may be due to the 

 difficulty of capturing fishes at great depths, a diffi- 

 culty which increases in j)roportion to the depths at 

 which the dredge is worked. But it must also be 

 regarded a? evidence of the actually diminished variety 

 of fishes.' 



It may be interesting to the reader to give Dr. 

 Giinther's table of the number of species found at 

 different depths, as it shows, among other things, the 

 marked change that occurs in the character of the 

 fauna in passing from the katantic to 1h3 abysmal 



zone. 



Between lCO-800 latboms, 282 species 



300-500 „ 142 



500-700 „ 76 



700-1,500 „ 5() 



„ 1,500-2,000 „ 24 



„ 2,000-2,900 „ 23 



As regards the general character presented by 

 the deep-sea fishes, I have already pointed out in the 

 chapter dealing with the general characters of the 

 deep-sea fauna, the peculiarities in the size of the eyes, 

 the colours and markings of the body, and the texture 

 of the bones and muscles. There are, however, a few 

 more characters of which mention must be made. 



Notwithstanding the fact that all the abysmal 

 Y^i fitltes are carnivorous and must consequently be 



