SURFACE-SWIMMING FAUNA (VERTEBRATES). 119 



steamer. Such a passenger might cross the 

 ocean many times without realising in the least 

 the wealth of animal life that there is in every 

 wave that breaks upon the ship, and yet be im- 

 pressed with what he has seen of the Whales 

 and Porpoises, the Sharks, Bonitos and Flying- 

 fish. 



It is to these groups of animals that a few 

 lines must be devoted before closing our story 

 of the surface-swimming Fauna. If the young 

 and immature stages be for the moment left out 

 of consideration, it may be said that nearly all 

 the Fish and all the Whales and Porpoises are 

 large, opaque in appearance, and perfectly con- 

 spicuous. Moreover, they are all strong and 

 rapid swimmers, capable of roaming over wide 

 areas of the sea in search of prey, and inde- 

 pendent of, except in so far as their prey are influ- 

 enced by, the currents and winds. It is clear 

 that they cannot be said to ' float ' and ' drift ' 

 about in the ocean, and consequently they do 

 not strictly belong to the Plankton. The term 

 used in speaking of them collectively is the 

 Nekton, which means the swimming popula- 

 tion. 



The greatest number of the Fish of the sea 

 are shore Fish; that is to say, they habitually 

 feed at, or close to, the bottom of the shallow 

 waters near the coasts or sunken banks. 



But there is a very considerable number that 

 are strictly pelagic, living and feeding far away 

 from the shores, bringing forth their young alive, 

 or shedding floating eggs, and in every way inde- 

 pendent of the shore and of the bottom. 



