in THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. 



which they all lead ! What richness may be foumi 

 in that relative poverty ! — what profusion of life in 

 those abysses to which we have not even access ! 



The inhabitants of the greatest depths, .Ike those 

 of the greatest heights, are the most uniformly dis- 

 tributed. Many of them are genuine citizens of the 

 world ; others, inhabiting the low bottoms, are sepa- 

 rated from the rest of the world by the deep waters 

 as by an impassable barrier. It is near the common 

 surface, in regions swept by the winds, and subject 

 to every variety of temperature, that animals exhibit 

 those diversities of character which fit them either for 

 tlie torrid zone, or the frozen regions which surround 

 the poles. A current of warm water is as effective in 

 keeping the distinct faunae apart as a rampart of 

 flames. The Gulf Stream nourishes beings to which 

 the neighbouring waters would prove fatal ; while, on 

 the other hand, its own genial boundaries are impas- 

 sable to species accustomed to the cold northern seas. 



That roving giant, the whale, hunts in cold waters, 

 and we never encounter him except he is in pursuit 

 of a shoal of herrings or other small fish, of which he 

 devours whole nations at once. Throwing his vast bulk 

 upon the serried ranks of his feeble enemy, he fills 

 his maw with legions of victims, and keeps them 

 » crowded together in that antechamber of death, to 

 devour them leisurely one by one — his contracted 



