ROMANCE OF DEPTHS OF THE SEA 121 



scending and ascending vertically, and no doubt 

 at times many of them form substantial additions 

 to the larder of the animals living at the bottom. 



During a recent meeting of the British Asso- 

 ciation, which was held at Dundee, a discussion 

 took place about life and the origin of life. Many 

 learned professors expressed their opinions, but 

 nobody seemed very successful in denning life. 

 As far as one who was not there can form an 

 opinion from the reports of the discussions, 

 most of the authorities " came out by that same 

 door wherein they went." 



It is not easy to define life in fact, it has not 

 yet been done. We can only describe life by 

 enumerating the attributes of living matter, and 

 there is one attribute which is rather apt to be 

 overlooked and may have been overlooked at 

 Dundee. This is rhythm. Living matter is 

 rhythmic. From the contractile vatuole of the 

 amoeba to the heart of man there is a definite 

 repetition of action at more or less definite inter- 

 vals, and there is, as Mr. Johnstone has so ably 

 pointed out in his " Life in the Sea/' a rhythm 

 in the ocean. 



There is a rhythm of the tide, a rhythm which 

 corresponds with the rise and fall about twice 



