Earth's Vast Ocean 



be spoken of as a kind of borderland under the 

 sea, connecting the dry land with the greater 

 ocean-depths. It amounts to about one-sixth 

 of the Earth's surface, and it has been named 

 THE TRANSITIONAL AREA. 



By " connecting" the two, I do not mean that 

 it must always be between the two. It does 

 very generally so lie, but there are exceptions. 

 Some deeper portions of the sea are close to 

 land, and some parts of the Transitional Area 

 are found far out at sea. 



The meaning of the word " Continental" 

 needs no explanation ; and the very word 

 " Abysmal" carries its own sense. More, how- 

 ever, will be said in future chapters about those 

 reaches of ocean known as the " Transitional 

 Area." 



A curious law seems to have governed the 

 grouping of land and water. Putting aside 

 innumerable small islands, scattered about, we 

 find that the great mass of land clusters towards 

 and round the north pole, with a water-and-ice- 

 filled hollow for its centre. While, on the 

 contrary, the greater mass of water may be 

 said to cluster towards and round the south 

 pole, with so far as we can conjecture a large 

 extent of land for its centre. The conditions 



21 



