166 THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA. [chap. iv. 



between the warm and cold areas so marked in that 

 region. The warm area, however, even as thus 

 restricted, is continuous southwards so far as we 

 know indefinitely for the North .Atlantic, occupying 

 the zone of depth along the coast from say 300 to 800 

 fathoms. At great depths everywhere the climatal 

 conditions approach those of the cold area, and the 

 actual character of a fauna — an assemblage of animals 

 at any one spot — must depend not merely upon tem- 

 perature but upon the laws regulating the distribu- 

 tion of deep-sea animals ; a subject on which we know 

 as yet very little. 



The bottom in the cold area in the Faeroe Channel 

 is rough gravel. That in the warm is everywhere 

 nearly homogeneous ' globigerina ooze.' This cir- 

 cumstance alone is sufficient to determine a marked 

 difference in the habits of the animals and their 

 mode of life. 



Referring then to the foraminifera, the dredge came 

 up throughout the warm area full of Globigerina and 

 Orbulina, and fine calcareous mud, the product of their 

 disintegration. Among these were multitudes of 

 other forms, most of them of large size. I quote from 

 Dr. Carpenter. Speaking of the Iloltenia ground, he 

 says: — "The Foraminifera obtained on this and the 

 neighbouring parts of the warm area presented many 

 features of great interest. As already stated, several 

 arenaceous forms (some of them new) were extremely 

 abundant ; but in addition to these we found a great 

 abundance of Miliolines of various types, many of 

 them attaining a very unusual and some even 

 an unprecedented size. As last year, we found 

 Comuspira resembling in general aspect the large 



