The Wilderness and Its Tenants. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE GREAT TERRESTRIAL RESERVOIR 



OR 



THE OCEAN, AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE 

 MIGHTY DEEP. 



From whence do the Waters of the Ocean proceed? The Great 

 Atmospheric Ocean. Its Billows and Storms. Chemical Affinity be- 

 tween Air and Water. Chemical Characters of Water. Chemical Trans- 

 formations of Matter. The Waters of the Ocean precipitated from the 

 Atmosphere. The Conversion of Vapour into Water. The Conversion 

 of Water into Vapour. The Water-bearing Capacity of the Winds. 

 Atmospheric Vapour on High Mountains. Water and Electrical Pheno- 

 mena. The Area of Water upon the Globe. The Ocean one Continuous 

 Liquid Expanse. Geological Changes in the Ancient Sea. Unchangeable 

 Nature of the Ocean in General. The Great Deeps. Area and Depth 

 of the Abyssal Region. Result of Deep Sqa Soundings. Greatest 

 Recorded Depths. Life at Great Depths. No Depth Limit to Life in 

 the Ocean. Deep Sea Fish. Results obtained by Dredging on Board 

 H.M.S. Challenger. Reasonings from Analogy point to the Existence 

 of Fish everywhere throughout the Ocean. No Absolutely Barren 

 Regions in Nature. Conditions of Life at Great Depths. The Eyes of 

 Deep Sea Fish. Their Phosphorescence. Fish brought up from Great 

 Depths always Dead. The Pressure of Water at 2500 Fathoms. 

 Effects of Pressure on the Wood of Trawl Beams. Temperature of the 

 Abyssal Depths. Temperatures fall with the Depth. The Freezing- 

 point of Sea Water. Ocean Circulation of Water caused by Variations 

 of Temperature. Evaporation. Oceanic Currents. The Sun's Heat the 

 Cause of every Motion. The Astronomer Herschel upon Heat as a 

 Mode of Motion. Professor Tyndall on the Same. The Problem of a 

 General Oceanic Circulation of Water. The Gulf Stream. Gigantic Pro- 

 portions of "Ocean Rivers." Li'eutenant Maury, u.s.N., on the Gulf 

 Stream. The Tremendous Power of Running Water. The Still Cushion 

 of Water on the Ocean Floor. The Harvests of the Sea : Lieutenant 

 Maury upon. Nature of the Bottom in the great Deeps. Globigerina Ooze. 

 Its Composition. Minute Shells at Enormous Depths. Lieutenant Maury 

 on the Perfect Repose of Water on the Ocean Floor. The Building 

 up of the Earth. The Formation of White Chalk. The Chalk Form- 



VOL. III. I 



