SALT-WATER FISOERIES OF NORWAY. 697 



fally-proved fact that at any rate iu some cases it may consist entirely 

 of a shapeless organic mass which certainly in its composition corre- 

 sponds with the matter contained in the individual diatoms, but differs 

 from it iu this respect that it has not yet become individualized, but 

 forms an unlimited and shapeless aggregation of protoplasm. 



I have devoted more time to this pbenomenon because it is of vast 

 significance not only from a scientific but also from a practical point of 

 view. This became immediately clear to me, and laying everything 

 aside I devoted two whole days to a continued and searching micro- 

 scopic examination of the above-mentioned protoplasm, in which I was 

 favored by unusually calm weather and a smooth sea, our steamer 

 lying still or floating with the current, as its boiler was being cleaned 

 at the time. When I made these investigations I certainly did not 

 know that such a slime had been observed by other naturalists, but 

 even now, after I have studied all that has been written on the subject, 

 I am convinced that the time spent by me has not been thrown away, as 

 the sea-slime near Jan Mayen was of a very peculiar character, and as 

 this phenomenon will lead to several highly important conclusions which 

 will not only throw light on the biolo gical condition of the Arctic Sea, 

 but will also touch some other questions of the greatest importance. I 

 hope at some future time to give a full account of this phenomenon, and 

 of the Conclusions which may be drawn from it. I will here only direct 

 attention to the important scientific fact that in this protoplasm we 

 have the simplest imaginable organism, neither animal nor plant, stand- 

 ing far below both, without shape, without limitation, not even yet 

 separated into individuals, much less having any organs, a shapeless, 

 indifferent, organic matter, which nevertheless contains life, but life of 

 the simplest and most i^rimitive kind. 



It is well known that in the first preliminary reports of the British 

 expeditions a very remarkable and problematic being has been fre- 

 quently spoken of, which was called Bathybius, This Bathybius was de- 

 scribed as a shapeless organic slime which, below a certain depth, was 

 supposed to penetrate the loose material of the bottom of the Atlantic, 

 and produce its viscidity. But the existence of this mysterious being, 

 which for a time created such a sensation in the scientific world, has 

 recently been doubted by several naturalists; and with very good rea- 

 son, for the microscopic examination of this bottom-slime was not made 

 on the spot on board the ship, but on the return of the expedition, on 

 specimens preserved in spirits of wine. It is obvious that even the 

 most careful aftd conscientious examination, if made under these circum- 

 stances, would easily lead to mistakes ; and it has actually been discov- 

 ered that when spirits of wine is mixed with seawater containing 

 decomposed animal matter, a gelatinous sediment is formed, which re- 

 sembles very closely the picture of the Bathybius. Grave and, as it 



seems, well-founded doubts have thus been raised as to the existence of 



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