382 Bibliographical Notices, 



greater than are usually supposed favourable to animal life : the 

 Globigerincey he states, are obtained from the immense depth of 

 3000 fathoms, and from no less than 1913 fathoms the small Annelid- 

 tubes above referred to as fabricated of the shells of Glohigerince 

 were brought up. He also cites analogous observations made by 

 various investigators, amongst others by Sir John Ross and Sir James 

 Clark Ross, the former of whom even obtained a Gorgon' s-head Star- 

 fish {Euryale) adhering to his sounding-line at a depth of 800 fathoms, 

 whilst M. Torell, director of the Swedish expedition to Spitzbergen, 

 is reported to have brought up from 1400 fathoms a "Crustacean of 

 bright colours." Dr. Wallich does not, however, refer to the exam- 

 ples adduced by Dr. A. Milne-Edwards in July 1861, before the 

 Academy of Sciences of Paris (see Annals, Sept. 1861), of the occur- 

 rence of several species of Mollusca, Corals, SerpulcBf and Polyzoa, 

 found adhering to a submarine cable recovered from depths between 

 1000 and 1500 fathoms in the Mediterranean. 



Having proved experimentally that animals do live at vast depths 

 in the ocean, our author reviews the grounds upon which the oppo- 

 site opinion, to which he gives the title of antibiotic, has been 

 founded. He discusses in detail the various questions connected with 

 the temperature and aeration of the water, and the presence in it of 

 mineral and other substances necessary for the existence of the 

 animal forms which have been found in the deepest recesses of the 

 ocean, and, it appears to us, shows satisfactorily that the views hitherto 

 entertained upon these points are erroneous. The argument derived 

 from total absence of light at these great depths is disposed of by 

 reference to the well-known fact that the lower parts of the deep-sea 

 coral zone of Forbes, which are inhabited by numerous and often 

 brightly coloured animals are situated far below the depth (700 feet) 

 to which the smallest amount of light can penetrate. One main 

 reason which has been urged against the existence of any living 

 thing in the deep sea, namely, the enormous pressure which must 

 prevail towards the bottom, appears to offer no further difficulty. 

 Immense as this pressure must be, amounting to no less than 2640 lbs. 

 on the square inch at a depth of a mile. Dr. Wallich shows that, as 

 every part of the creatures living at the sea-bottom is " completely 

 pervious to fluids, either by its porosity or through endosmotic action, 

 the state of equilibrium remains undisturbed," and thus these animals 

 will be enabled to adapt themselves to all circumstances of pressure. 



There is one point, however, in connexion with the residence of 

 animals at great depths, in which Dr. Wallich seems to find some 

 difficulty, namely, the mode in which they can obtain their nourish- 

 ment. Vegetable substances, in the sea as on land, must be con- 

 sidered to form the basis of the nutrition of animals, either directly 

 or indirectly ; but the growth of plants is limited to those zones of the 

 sea-bed to which light can penetrate ; and although the remains of 

 vegetable organisms have been brought up in abundance from great 

 depths, their condition seems to prove that their life was passed 

 nearer the surface of the ocean, and that they did not sink to the bot- 

 tom of the deep waters until after the cessation of their vitality. That 



