﻿FOSSIL. 
  MARINE 
  FAUNAS 
  KEBK 
  301 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  exactly 
  oppo- 
  

   site 
  to 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  land. 
  

  

  Again, 
  

  

  Thus, 
  the 
  colder 
  seas 
  are 
  richer 
  in 
  life 
  than 
  the 
  warmer 
  ones; 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  

   very 
  least 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  polar 
  seas 
  is 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  Tropics. 
  

  

  My 
  own 
  attention 
  was 
  attracted 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  when 
  cruising 
  in 
  the 
  

   cold 
  waters 
  of 
  southeastern 
  Alaska. 
  Here 
  in 
  fiords 
  and 
  channels 
  

   where 
  in 
  midsummer 
  icebergs 
  were 
  usually 
  in 
  sight 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  amaz- 
  

   ing 
  abundance 
  and 
  diversity 
  of 
  marine 
  animal 
  and 
  plant 
  life. 
  Usu- 
  

   ally 
  the 
  waters 
  teemed 
  with 
  medusae, 
  some 
  with 
  tentacles 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  

   feet 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  length. 
  Looking 
  down 
  through 
  the 
  clear 
  waters 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  was 
  seen 
  at 
  times 
  to 
  be 
  covered 
  wath 
  colonies 
  of 
  huge 
  multi- 
  

   colored 
  sea 
  anemones, 
  great 
  patches 
  of 
  echinoids, 
  starfish, 
  great 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  large 
  crabs, 
  and 
  innumerable 
  smaller 
  organisms. 
  Going 
  

   aboard 
  a 
  trawler 
  bringing 
  halibut 
  and 
  other 
  fish 
  up 
  from 
  depths 
  of 
  

   100 
  fathoms 
  and 
  over, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  worms 
  of 
  various 
  sorts 
  were 
  

   found 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  fish, 
  while 
  ophiuroids 
  became 
  entangled 
  in 
  the 
  

   lines 
  by 
  the 
  hundred. 
  Occasionally 
  large 
  pectens, 
  holothurians, 
  and 
  

   branches 
  of 
  coral 
  are 
  brought 
  up 
  from 
  these 
  depths. 
  Mj'^riads 
  of 
  

   shrimp 
  are 
  also 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  present. 
  In 
  shallower 
  water 
  I 
  often 
  dis- 
  

   lodged 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  laminarians 
  from 
  its 
  anchorage 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  

   stem 
  running 
  through 
  my 
  hands 
  brought 
  into 
  the 
  boat 
  the 
  bowlder 
  

   attached 
  to 
  the 
  roots. 
  On 
  the 
  rock 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  roots 
  an 
  amazing 
  

   diversity 
  and 
  abundance 
  of 
  life 
  was 
  found. 
  Ophiuroids, 
  starfish, 
  

   brachiopods, 
  chitons, 
  gastropods, 
  Crustacea 
  of 
  various 
  sorts, 
  and 
  

   pelecypods 
  were 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  types. 
  Often 
  20 
  or 
  25 
  species 
  of 
  

   invertebrates 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  one 
  bowlder 
  8 
  or 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  diam- 
  

   eter 
  with 
  its 
  attached 
  roots. 
  As 
  a 
  commentary 
  on 
  the 
  findings 
  of 
  

   future 
  paleontologists 
  investigating 
  these 
  deposits, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  

   that 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  bowlders 
  brought 
  up 
  were 
  glaciated 
  

   and 
  were 
  doubtless 
  derived 
  from 
  present-day 
  bergs. 
  The 
  present 
  

   bottom 
  sediments 
  of 
  the 
  southeastern 
  Alaskan 
  fiords 
  if 
  preserved 
  as 
  

   sedimentary 
  rocks 
  would 
  doubtless 
  have 
  all 
  the 
  characteristic 
  fea- 
  

   tures, 
  in 
  places 
  at 
  least, 
  of 
  tillites. 
  In 
  the 
  sediments, 
  however, 
  would 
  

   be 
  found 
  an 
  abundant 
  fauna. 
  Along 
  the 
  shores 
  between 
  tides 
  and 
  

   just 
  below 
  low-tide 
  level 
  in 
  most 
  places 
  the 
  rocks 
  and 
  bottom 
  are 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  by 
  innumerable 
  echinoids, 
  chitons, 
  gastropods, 
  Crustacea, 
  and 
  

   other 
  invertebrates. 
  Wherever 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  firm 
  bottom 
  not 
  too 
  deep 
  

   the 
  water 
  is 
  dark 
  with 
  algas. 
  Of 
  the 
  nekton, 
  whales 
  were 
  seen 
  daily, 
  

   while 
  porpoises, 
  orcas, 
  and 
  seals 
  were 
  abundant. 
  Of 
  fish, 
  myriads 
  of 
  

   herring 
  and 
  the 
  vast 
  migrating 
  streams 
  of 
  salmon 
  are 
  well 
  known, 
  

   not 
  to 
  mention 
  the 
  sharks 
  and 
  deep-water 
  halibut, 
  cod, 
  and 
  red 
  snap- 
  

   pers. 
  Only 
  in 
  Glacier 
  Bay 
  was 
  marine 
  life 
  notable 
  by 
  its 
  rarity. 
  

   Swept 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  by 
  the 
  last 
  adA^ance 
  of 
  the 
  ice, 
  the 
  front 
  of 
  

   which 
  probably 
  stood 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  Icy 
  Strait 
  less 
  than 
  200 
  

  

  