266 



sites of many ancient cities were determined, were eventually pub- 

 lished by Messrs. Spratt and Forbes ; but these ' Lycian Travels,' 

 however interesting, must be considered as of very secondary im- 

 portance, so far as Edward Forbes is concerned, to the results of his 

 examination of the shores of the vEgean with the dredge, an instru- 

 ment of great simplicity indeed, but with whose value he had early 

 acquainted himself. It was upon the data obtained by dredging 

 during his cruises that he based that remarkable ' Theory of the 

 Bathymetrical Distribution of Life' with which his name will always 

 stand most prominently connected in the annals of science. 



That zones of distinct species of living beings may be shown to 

 exist at different depths in the sea just as corresponding zones are 

 demonstrable at different heights on the land, is a proposition 

 which had been clearly enunciated by Audouin and Milne-Edwards 

 so long ago as 1832, and subsequently, on independent grounds, by 

 Loven. But, for the addition of new zones, for their accurate enu- 

 meration and definition, and above all, for the practical application 

 of the ' Theory of Distribution in Depth, of Marine Life,' to the solu- 

 tion of geological problems, we are entirely indebted to Edward 

 Forbes. 



It is impossible to estimate too highly the value of the ' Theory 

 of Bathymetrical Distribution ' as a contribution to scientific natural 

 history ; and it is greatly to be regretted that the details of the 

 ^Egean researches, from which the theory was constructed, have 

 never been published. A sum of money was granted by Govern- 

 ment for the purpose, but the pressure of new avocations and other 

 practical difficulties interfered. Nevertheless, Mr. Forbes always 

 looked forward to the working up and publication of these his early 

 and favourite investigations ; and doubtless, the hoped-for leisure to 

 carry out his pains was one of the many attractions which the Chair 

 of Natural History in Edinburgh offered. But these projects were 

 destined to have no fulfilment; and Forbes's views have but an in- 

 complete representation in the ' Reports of the British Association ' 

 and the ' Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain.' 



Edward Forbes's studies at the University were on the widest 

 scale ; and like the father of Natural History, he attacked with equal 

 ardour Mineralogy, Botany, and Zoology. Good authorities affirm 

 that his knowledge of mineralogy was of no small extent ; as a 



