ZOOLOGY IN JAPAN. IO7 



Balanoglossus is found in abundance, and since I came away I am 

 informed that two more species have been found near the locaHt)-. 

 The plankton is also very rich — the warm current Kjiroshru.<o which 

 passes by, not many miles out, bringing many forms of the warmer 

 seas. Various forms of Siphonophora and CtenopJiora (among the 

 latter a Cestus), Charybdea (several species), Anrelia, Dactylometra, 

 Pilevia, Liriopc, Limacina, Carinaria, Ptcrotrachea, Sagitta, Salpa, 

 Doliolum, Appejidiculana, Actinotrodia, Pi/idiian, Toriiaria, various 

 Echinoderm larvae, Noctiliica, are the names that occur to me at 

 random, and the list could easily be made much longer. But it is 

 only when we look beyond the immediate shores that it becomes 

 evident how we are favoured by nature. I need not remind this 

 audience that the Pacific is extremely deep near Japan, and that 

 comparatively great depths occur close to the shore. The opera- 

 tions which have the Misaki laboratory for their base are at present 

 confined mostly to the Sagami sea. Within this area we may 

 perhaps distinguish two sections, the parts shallower than 100 

 fathoms and those that are deeper. The bottom of the sea seems 

 to grow deeper comparatively slowly, down to the 100- fathom line, 

 although this line is nowhere very far from the shore, and in some 

 places extremely close. At the 100- fathom line there is, generally 

 speaking, a very sudden deepening. In many places there must 

 be almost perpendicular cliffs, for two soundings, distant only by 

 a stone's throw, often give one 80 — 100 fathoms, and the other 

 over 200 fathoms. Towards the centre of the sea there are 500 — 

 600 fathoms, and in one spot 970 fathoms. There is another 

 peculiar place near the mouth of the river Banyu which gives 908 

 fathoms. A very important spot is a shoal known as Okinose, 

 where the shallowest water is only 37 fathoms deep. The declivi- 

 ties of this submarine peak form one of the richest grounds. It 

 is evident that volcanic phenomena have had a great deal to do 

 in the formation of the peculiarities of the bottom in the Sagami 

 sea. We still see abundant evidences of volcanic activity in this 

 region. Oshima, which marks the southern boundary of this sea, is 

 an active volcano, and its smoke is one of the great meteorological 

 signals useful to fishermen. Fujiyama and Hakme, extinct vol- 

 canoes, lie not very far off, and the peninsula of Izu is full of 

 hot mineral springs. Moreover the Bay of T5ky6 is the centre of 

 numerous earthquakes. 



Faunistically, we can distinguish the shallower areas above the 

 1 00- fathom line as the home of Metacrimis and of many forms of 

 Pennatulids. The cliff, which goes down at that line into deeper 

 parts, seems to be very rich in animals. It is below this cliff in 

 deeper parts that we find Hyalonema, Eiiplectella, Rhabdocalyptus, 

 and other silicious sponges. It is also the home of CJdamydo- 

 selacJnis, Plciirotouiaria, and MacrocJieiriis. Of the extremel}- rich 

 and varied forms of life found in these deeper parts I can speak 

 onl}- of their existence. The materials have yet to be studied. Of 



