TEMPERATUEE. , 397 



ments that nothing be lost," has written the 

 same lesson upon creation at large ; and the 

 instance in question may be taken as an inter- 

 esting illustration both of the care of God over 

 his creatures, and of that feature of his provi- 

 dence which will have nothing to be wasted. 



The temperature of the atmosphere was 

 observed to decrease as we ascend; that of 

 the ocean, in temperate and tropical climates, 

 observes a rule exactly the reverse ; it decreases 

 as we sink into it. The recent interesting 

 researches of Professor Forbes during the sur- 

 vey of the JEgean Sea, have developed a very 

 singular fact in connexion with the tempera- 

 ture of the sea. Just as the progressive de- 

 crease of temperature in the air as we ascend 

 is marked by zones of vegetation which 

 become more and more northern; so as we 

 descend into the sea, there are zones of tempe- 

 rature marked by the character of the marine 

 animals which exist in them ; and in the lower 

 regions these animals consist of species, as 

 strikingly resembling the northern species, as 

 the higher vegetation in a lofty range of moun- 

 tains resembles that of the northern regions. 

 Even in the fourth region nearly fifty per cent, 

 of species are identical with northern forms. 

 Professor Forbes found a difference of tempe- 

 rature between the highest and lowest zone ; 



