62 A Retrospect of Oceanography 



over a large part of the bed of the ocean; and as no living 

 thing, however slowly it may live, is ever perfectly at rest, 

 but is continually acting and reacting with its surroundings, 

 the bottom of the sea becomes like the surface of the sea and 

 of the land, a theatre of change, performing its part in main- 

 taining the 'balance of organic nature.'' 



Although Bathybius was discovered by Huxley it was 

 Haeckel who popularised it. His paper on "Bathybius und 

 das freie Protoplasma der Meerestiefen 1 ," is one of the most 

 fascinating memoirs that has ever been written. 



In reviewing Huxley's article, he says that the most 

 important fact brought out by Huxley's investigations is 

 that the bottom of the open ocean, even in the greatest depths, 

 is covered with enormous masses of free-living protoplasm 

 which exists there in the simplest and most original form, 

 that is, it has no definite shape and is hardly individualised. 

 The fact that these enormous masses of living protoplasm cover 

 the -great depths of the ocean in preponderating quantity 

 and under quite peculiar conditions, suggests so many reflections 

 that a book could be written on them. Haeckel asks, "What 

 is this Bathybius for an organism? How did it come into 

 being? What becomes of it? What place are we to accord 

 to it in the economy of nature in these abysses?" 



Haeckel recognised clearly the far-reaching importance of 

 the discovery. He concludes with the inquiry, " Have we not 

 here the case of protoplasm coming continuously into being 

 by creation? We stand here face to face with a series of dark 

 enigmas, the answer to which we must hope to receive from 

 future investigations." 



It must be remembered that the material for the study of 

 Bathybius was rare and valuable. Specimens of the mud 

 from the bottom of the open ocean were then very scarce 

 and were jealously guarded. It was quite legitimate for 

 Haeckel to look forward for more light when material would 

 be more plentiful. 



In the early part of the cruise all the naturalists sought 

 for Bathybius, but they found nothing answering to it which 

 1 Haeckel, Zeitschrift fiir biologische studien. 



