﻿764 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [6] 
  

  

  "water. 
  . 
  The 
  shells 
  and 
  skeletons 
  of 
  these, 
  after 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  

   and 
  plants, 
  accumulate 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  calcareous 
  and 
  

   siliceous 
  deposits. 
  The 
  calcareous 
  deposits 
  are 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  remains 
  

   of 
  coccospheres, 
  rhabdospheres, 
  pelagic 
  and 
  deep-sea 
  Foraminifera, 
  pe- 
  

   lagic 
  and 
  deep-sea 
  Mollusks, 
  Corals, 
  Alcyonarians, 
  Polyzoa, 
  Echino- 
  

   derms, 
  Annelids, 
  Fish, 
  and 
  other 
  organisms. 
  The 
  siliceous 
  deposits 
  are 
  

   formed 
  principally 
  of 
  frustules 
  of 
  Diatoms, 
  skeletons 
  of 
  Eadiolarians, 
  

   and 
  spicules 
  of 
  Sponges. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  minute 
  pelagic 
  and 
  deep-sea 
  organisms 
  above 
  mentioned 
  

   play 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  deep-sea 
  de- 
  

   posits, 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  vertebrates 
  is 
  recognizable 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  

   degree 
  in 
  some 
  special 
  regions 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   sharks' 
  teeth 
  and 
  the 
  ear 
  bones 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  bones 
  of 
  whales. 
  The 
  

   otoliths 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  usually 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  deposits, 
  but, 
  -with 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   ception 
  of 
  two 
  vertebrae 
  and 
  a 
  scapula, 
  no 
  other 
  bones 
  of 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  

   detected 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  material 
  we 
  have 
  examined. 
  

  

  Agents. 
  — 
  Having 
  passed 
  in 
  review 
  the 
  various 
  materials 
  which 
  go 
  

   to 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  deposits 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  water 
  immediately 
  surrounding 
  

   the 
  land 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  truly 
  oceanic 
  areas, 
  attention 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  directed 
  

   to 
  the 
  agents 
  which 
  are 
  concerned 
  in 
  the 
  transport 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   these, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  sphere 
  of 
  their 
  action. 
  The 
  relations 
  existing 
  between 
  

   the 
  organic 
  and 
  inorganic 
  elements 
  of 
  deposits 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  just 
  

   referred, 
  and 
  the 
  laws 
  which 
  determine 
  their 
  distribution, 
  will 
  be 
  

   pointed 
  out 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  fluids 
  which 
  envelop 
  the 
  solid 
  crust 
  of 
  the 
  globe 
  are 
  incessantly 
  

   at 
  work 
  disintegrating 
  the 
  materials 
  of 
  the 
  land, 
  which, 
  becoming- 
  

   loose 
  and 
  transportable, 
  are 
  carried 
  away, 
  sometimes 
  by 
  the 
  atmos- 
  

   phere, 
  sometimes 
  by 
  water, 
  to 
  lower 
  regions, 
  and 
  are 
  eventually 
  borne 
  

   to 
  the 
  ocean 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  solid 
  particles 
  or 
  as 
  matter 
  in 
  solution. 
  The 
  

   atmosphere, 
  when 
  agitated, 
  after 
  having 
  broken 
  up 
  the 
  solid 
  rock, 
  

   transports 
  the' 
  particles 
  from 
  the 
  continents, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  regions 
  car- 
  

   ries 
  them 
  far 
  out 
  to 
  sea, 
  where 
  they 
  form 
  an 
  appreciable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   deposit, 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  off 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  North 
  Africa 
  and 
  the 
  

   southwest 
  coast 
  of 
  Australia. 
  Again, 
  in 
  time 
  of 
  volcanic 
  eruptions, 
  

   the 
  dust 
  and 
  scoria 
  which 
  are 
  shot 
  into 
  the 
  air 
  are 
  carried 
  immense 
  dis- 
  

   tances 
  by 
  winds 
  and 
  atmospheric 
  currents, 
  and 
  no 
  small 
  portion 
  event- 
  

   ually 
  falls 
  into 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  Water 
  is, 
  however, 
  the 
  most 
  powerful 
  agent 
  concerned 
  in 
  the 
  forma- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  marine 
  sediments. 
  Running 
  water 
  corrodes 
  

   the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  carries 
  the 
  triturated 
  fragments 
  down 
  into 
  

   the 
  ocean. 
  The 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  ocean, 
  in 
  form 
  of 
  waves 
  and 
  tides, 
  attack 
  

   the 
  coast 
  and 
  distribute 
  the 
  debris 
  at 
  a 
  lower 
  level. 
  Independently 
  of 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  waves, 
  there 
  exists 
  along 
  most 
  coasts 
  currents, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  constant, 
  which 
  have 
  an 
  effect 
  in 
  removing 
  sand, 
  gravel, 
  and 
  

   pebbles 
  farther 
  from 
  their 
  origin. 
  Generally, 
  terrestrial 
  matters 
  appear 
  

   to 
  be 
  distributed 
  by 
  these 
  means 
  to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  hundred 
  

  

  