8 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 



raised by an incessant trade wind have broken. 

 Yet all transpires in perfect silence." One 

 feature that contributes to the strangeness of 

 the surroundings is that all vertical distances 

 prove to be much greater than they appear 

 from the surface of the water. An apparently 

 smooth floor turns out to be rough, and a rough 

 one is found to be seamed by ragged crevasses. 

 Mr. Longley tells us of some of the sights 

 he saw. A bit of food thrown on to the sandy 

 floor would tempt crabs out of hiding ; they 

 would scuttle over the bottom like shadowy 

 ghosts, so like are they to their surroundings ; 

 then they would scrape and scratch a little 

 with their hind legs and go down backwards 

 out of sight. Flounders, coloured and patterned 

 just like the bottom, would rise and sink again, 

 burying themselves in the drifting sand, all but 

 their protruding watchful eyes. From a tiny 

 hole in the coral a small fish " with an enormous 

 dorsal fin would protrude half its body, and 

 rapidly and repeatedly elevate and depress its 

 great banner, while another seems to respond 

 to the signal." " Often one observes incidents 

 which remain incomprehensible, as when two 

 yellow grunts (Hcemulon sciurus) approach one 

 another slowly, snout to snout, open their 



