132 THE ADVANCE OF SCIENCE 



advanced. The establishment of meteoro- 

 logical observations by all civilised na- 

 tions, has furnished a solid foundation to 

 climatology ; while a growing sense of the 

 importance of the influence of the ' strug- 

 gle for existence' affords a wholesome 

 check to the tendency to overrate the in- 

 fluence of climate on distribution. Ex- 

 peditions, such as that of the 'Chal- 

 lenger,' equipped, not for geographical 

 exploration and discovery, but for the 

 purpose of throwing light on problems of 

 physical and biological science, have been 

 sent out by our own and other Govern- 

 ments, and have obtained stores of in- 

 formation of the greatest value. For the 

 first time, we are in possession of some- 

 thing like precise knowledge of the physi- 

 cal features of the deep seas, and of the 

 living population of the floor of the ocean. 

 The careful and exhaustive study of the 

 phenomena presented by the accumula- 

 tions of snow and ice, in polar and mount- 



