THE GREAT DEEPS 105 



By the beginning of the nineteenth century 

 imagination was being corrected by scientific 

 investigation, and people were becoming dis- 

 inclined to believe more than they could see. 

 Apparatus for research was still very imper- 

 fect, and we find a great English naturalist, 

 Edward Forbes, in 1850, declaring his belief 

 that there are no living animals below 300 

 fathoms. And this in spite of the fact that in 

 1818 Sir John Ross dredged a Brittle-Star 

 (Astrophyton) from 800 to 1000 fathoms. 



Even when animals were brought up in the 

 net from considerable depths, it was objected 

 that there could be no certainty that these were 

 not caught on the way up. But that living 

 creatures existed at much greater depths than 

 had been supposed was suddenly proved be- 

 yond all doubt by an accident. A submarine 

 cable broke, and when the two ends were fished 

 up for repair, they were found encrusted with 

 several different kinds of animals. This dis- 

 covery gave a great impetus to investigation. 

 It was too costly for private enterprise, but the 

 Governments of various countries, Britain, 

 France, Norway, Italy, and the United States, 

 took the matter in hand, and expedition after 

 expedition was sent out, with special equip- 



