THE THlLAirH OF LIFE 



mnnner. They firtt creep in the dark upon the 

 little illuminated fish and then when the small 

 ones turn off their lights tliey plunge all into 

 light. There comes again the fish with the il- 

 luminating apparatus like a glowing pear oscil- 

 lating on a long thread from his nose. He is a 

 sly one who makes capital in both ways. With 

 the glowing pear he produces the harmless im- 

 pression of a tiny little animal, a glowing worm 

 that peaceably seeks its way with its lantern. 

 Immediately the blue flames of the fish that are 

 hunters of such worms close in near and appear 

 in the light circle of the pear. It is their de- 

 struction. The pear is here a decoy. Attached 

 to it but himself in the darkness behind, the 

 actual possessor appears for the first time, an 

 enormous robber fish. In that moment when 

 the little hunters of the supposed worm are il- 

 luminated and made conspicuous the dark giant 

 bursts upon them and seizes the nearest in a 

 certain grip. The deceived hunter is now him- 

 self a victim. 



Hunter and prey! The little fish would eat 

 the worm; the large fish would eat the little 

 ones. Again in mind we wander through this 

 whole terrible water column of five and a half 

 miles in height. Such a hunting ground 

 throughout the five and a half miles of water. 

 Now we understand why life has climbed all 

 through this colossal tower from the sill to the 



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