Revieivs — Wijville T/iomson's "Depths of the Sea" 217 



small interest. Its examination resulted in the discovery that all 

 oyer the Atlantic Basin the sediment consisted almost entirely o-f the 

 calcareous shells of one species of Foraminifera, Glohigerina hulloides. 



The cruise of H.M'.S. "Bulldog," under Captain Sir Leopold 

 McClintock, in 1860, carries us on another step forward. During 

 this expedition specimens of the bottom were brought up from depths 

 of from 600 to 2000 fathoms, when, besides Glohigerina mud, Dr. 

 Wallick obtained 13 starfishes from 1260 fathoms. 



The laying of telegraphic cables, and the soundings taken for that 

 purpose in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and elsewhere, together 

 with the various operations connected with the maintenance of sub- 

 marine telegraphy, has added numerous most important facts and 

 data concerning the fauna of the deep sea. 



But it remained for Prof. Wyville Thomson and his colleagues, 

 Dr. Carpenter and Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys, to collect and publish the 

 first most complete and irrefragable array of evidence upon the con- 

 ditions of life in the depths of the sea. 



" During the several cruises of H.M. ships ' Lightning ' and 

 ' Porcupine/ in the years 1868, 1869, and 1870, fifty-seven hauls of 

 the dredge were taken in the Atlantic at depths beyond 500 fathoms, 

 and sixteen at depths beyond 1000 fathoms, and in all cases life was 

 abundant. In 1869 we took two casts in depths greater than 2000 

 fathoms. In both of these life was abundant ; and with the deepest 

 cast, 2435 fathoms, off the mouth of the Bay of Biscay, we took 

 living, well-marked, and characteristic examples of all the five in- 

 vertebrate sub-kingdoms. And thus the question of the existence of 

 abundant animal life at the bottom of the sea has been finally settled 

 and for all depths, for there is no reason to suppose that the depth 

 anywhere exceeds between three and four thousand fathoms ; and if 

 there be nothing in the conditions of a depth of 2500 fathoms to 

 prevent the full development of a varied fauna, it is impossible to 

 suppose that even an additional thousand fathoms would make any 

 great difference." (p. 31.) 



The book before us presents us with a full and most interesting 

 account of these several cruises, and although the narrative is from 

 the pen of Prof. Wyville Thomson himself, yet all the important 

 points established by his colleagues, together with the Natural History 

 results as worked out by the Eev. A. Merle Norman, Prof. Kolliker, 

 Dr. Carter, Dr. AUman, Prof. Martin Duncan, and Dr. M'Intosh, will 

 be found embodied in the text, which is most charmingly illustrated 

 with figures of all the most important among the many new and rare 

 forms of animals obtained, together with coloured maps and charts 

 of the areas dredged over and the apparatus used. Let us now briefly 

 note some of the dredgings. 



Here is an account of a wonderful new living Echinoderm, closely 

 related to one from the English Chalk. 



" As the dredge was coming in we got a glimpse from time to 

 time of a large scarlet urchin in the bag. We thought it was one of 

 the highly-coloured forms of Echinus Flemingii of unusual size, and 

 as it was blowing fresh, and there was some little difficulty in 



