P E E F A C E. 



" OUR PLANET is surrounded by two great oceans," says Dr. Maury, 

 the eminent American savant : " the one visible, the other invisible ; 

 one is under foot, the other over head. One entirely envelopes it, the 

 other covers about two-thirds of its surface." It is proposed in " THE 

 OCEAN WORLD " to give a brief record of the Natural History of one 

 of those great oceans and its living inhabitants, with as little of the 

 nomenclature of Science, and as few of the repulsive details of Ana- 

 tomy, as is consistent with clearness of expression ; to describe the 

 ocean in its majestic calm and angry agitation ; to delineate its inha- 

 bitants in their many metamorphoses ; the cunning with which they 

 attack or evade their enemies ; their instructive industry ; their 

 quarrels, their combats, and their loves. 



The learned Schleiden eloquently paints the living wonders of the 

 deep : " If we dive into the liquid crystal of the Indian Ocean, the 

 most wondrous enchantments are opened to us, reminding us of the 

 fairy tales of childhood's dreams. The strangely-branching thickets 

 bear living flowers. Dense masses of Meandrineas and Astreas con- 

 trast with the leafy, cup-shaped expansions of the Explanarias, and 

 the variously-branching Madrepores, now spread out like fingers, now 

 rising in trunk-like branches, and now displaying an elegant array of 

 interlacing tracery. The colouring surpasses everything ; vivid greens 

 alternate with brown and yellow ; rich tints, ranging from purple and 



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