If, at a few yards below the surface, one observes the rocky bottom 

 of the sea, one is seized with admiration at the richness of tone. But, 

 strangely enough, the anemones and the other stationary animals 

 often display magnificent colours, just as much as the fish. Yet, fixed 

 to the rock, they do not set out on nuptial journeys. What good then 

 are the^e colours? Is it to attract their prey or, on the contrary, to 

 frighten off their enemies ? If the diver goes deeper, down where the 

 red light does not reach, and detaches a grey-coloured animal from the 

 rock, very often this creature will appear bright red in the daylight. 

 The nets of the océanographie vessel Valdivia brought up from several 

 thousand fathoms, depths where perpetual night reigns, lobsters of the 

 finest red. How can this colouring be explained? We are far from 

 knowing this. Darwin's theory has certainly something to do with the 

 matter ; but the last word has not yet been said : let us then continue to 

 observe and seek. 



THE DIVE GOES ON 



We turned on the lights in the cabin, and glanced at the pressure 

 gauges: the pressure was 45 atmospheres, showing that we were 

 almost 250 fathoms down. We put out the light, and were in absolute 

 darkness. I looked through the porthole : like a shooting star, a luminous 

 dot crossed my visual field. A living thing! Animal or vegetable? In 

 this darkness true plants cannot live. We saw several of these phos- 

 phorescent animals, sometimes solitary, sometimes in a group, then 

 once more, the opaque shadows round us. Lower down I noticed a 

 creature more brilliant than the others, more distant, surrounded by a 

 halo of light : it looked like a planet in misty weather. It was too far off 

 for me to be able to make out the shape. A single fish showed itself, 

 about 4-8 in. long, and also slightly phosphorescent. When we lit 

 the 5000-candlepower projector — its beam was directed downwards — 

 a quantity of small bodies appeared, luminous dots standing out 

 against a dark background. A more perfect demonstration of ultra- 

 microscopic lighting could not be imagined ! The water was admirably 

 limpid; when no animalcule was within range the light-beam was 

 practically invisible. 



The recording gauges describe their regular curves: 200, 250, 300 

 fathoms. As expected, the petrol contracted and the bathyscaphe 

 became heavier. Its speed increased progressively : it had now reached 

 3*3 ft. a second and even a little more. In these conditions there was 



[ "8] 



