DEC 17 189? 
NATURAL SCIENCE 
A Monthly Review of Scientific Progress 
No. 70—Vo.t. XI—DECEMBER 1897 
NOTES AND COMMENTS 
THE FAUNA OF THE DEEP SEA 
OnE of the most important publications of the past month is Dr 
Giinther’s Presidential Address to the Linnean Society of London, 
just issued in this Society’s Proceedings. It is a critical review of 
our present knowledge of the depths of the sea, by one who has 
made a life-long study of the subject, and added no small contribu- 
tions to the solution of the problems in question from the biologist’s 
point of view. Dr Giinther treats the subject under geographical 
headings, being of opinion that this arrangement brings out some 
points of interest more prominently than a general historical state- 
ment would do. He is careful, however, to emphasise the fact that 
he still believes the deep-sea fauna to be one indivisible whole ; 
such types as seem to be characteristic of some particular region of 
the ocean being ‘‘ accidentally or ignorantly imported into the deep- 
sea fauna,” or else forms of which the wide range has not yet been 
ascertained. 
Among the many interesting points discussed, there are two 
expressions of opinion of great importance from one who has so 
many qualifications to speak authoritatively: The first relates to 
the question of the permanence of the abyssal ocean depths; the 
other refers to the presence or absence of life in the middle-depths 
of the oceanic waters. 
Dr Giinther is emphatically in favour of the idea that the 
abysses of the ocean are not permanent, but may well have changed 
many times in the past. He declares that the opposite view 
“cannot be accepted by the student of the terrestrial fauna.” He 
remarks: “I cannot help thinking that our knowledge of the 
nature of the rocks at the bottom of the sea is, at present, to use a 
mild expression, most imperfect. Is it not possible that continental 
rocks at the abyssal sea-bottom are so hidden under the deposit 
which has been in progress of formation for untold ages, as to pre- 
vent us from penetrating to them? Possibly the day may come 
when borings or some similar operation will be successfully carried 
2C 
