54 CRUISE OF THE BARRERA 



A large proportion of the total assemblage are 

 more or less transparent displaying their internal 

 anatomy with the clearness of an idealized drawing. 

 Before transferring the plankton to formalin it 

 was always placed in bowls of sea water and about 

 these our crew would gather in fascinated gaze, 

 their curiosity seemingly never satisfied by closest 

 inspection of the undreamed of wonders of the 

 sea. They had thought they knew their sea so 

 well. After all, all knowledge is relative. Possibly 

 we who explained these things to the crew knew 

 but little more about them than they, and possibly 

 those who have dedicated their lives to these busy 

 little creatures in the bowl know but little more 

 about them than we. The recollection of a politi- 

 cal campaign speech kept intruding, where the 

 frank orator prefaced his remarks by saying: 

 "You know nothing about the silver question and 

 neither do I, therefore I shall explain it to you. " 



