30 THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA. [CHAP. i. 



water, but they are moulded upon its outer surface or 

 cemented to it by calcareous or horny excretions, and 

 some of them, such as the corals and bryozoa, from 

 what we know of their history and mode of life, must 

 have become attached to it as minute germs, and have 

 grown to maturity in the position in which they were 

 found. I must therefore regard this observation of 

 Mr. Meeming Jenkin as having afforded the first 

 absolute proof of the existence of highly-organized 

 animals living at depths of upwards of 1,000 fathoms. 

 During the several cruises of H.M. ships 'Light- 

 ning ' and ' Porcupine ' in the years 1868, 1869, and 

 1870, 1 fifty-seven hauls of the dredge were taken in 

 the Atlantic at depths beyond 500 fathoms, and sixteen 

 at depthsbeyond 1,000 fathoms, and in all cases life was 

 abundant. In 1869 we took two casts in depths greater 

 than 2,000 fathoms. In both of these life was abun- 

 dant ; and with the deepest cast, 2,435 fathoms, off 

 the mouth of the Bay of Biscay, we took living, well- 

 marked and characteristic examples of all of the five 

 invertebrate sub-kingdoms. And thus the question of I 



1 Preliminary Eeport, by Dr. William Carpenter, V.P.R S., of 

 Dredging Operations in the Seas to the north of the British Islands, 

 carried on in Her Majesty's steam-vessel ' Lightning ' by Dr. Carpenter 

 and Dr. Wyville Thomson, Professor of Natural History in Queen's 

 College, Belfast. (Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 1868.) 



Preliminary Report of the Scientific Exploration of the Deep Sea 

 in H.M. surveying-vessel 'Porcupine,' during the Summer of 1869. 

 Conducted by Dr. Carpenter, V.P.R. S., J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S., and 

 Professor Wyville Thomson, LL.D., F.R.S. (Proceedings of the Royal 

 Society of London, 1870.) 



Report of Deep Sea Researches carried on during the months of 

 July, August, and September 1870, in H.M. surveying-ship 'Porcu- 

 pine,' by W. B. Carpenter, M.D., F.R.S., and J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S. 

 (Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 1870.) 



