INTRODUCTION 17 



A large number of marine animals Avliose true liome is among 

 the r3ahamas, or West Indies, are drifted upon the southern coast 

 of Long Island by the southerly winds of the summer months 

 and become quite abundant along our shores in August. From 

 November until April, however, the northerly and easterly winds 

 prevail, and these drift down upon us a host of creatures whose 

 home is in the cold arctic water. We see then that tropical and 

 sub-tropical animals are found along our coast in summer and early 

 autumn, while arctic creatures live there in winter and spring. 

 There are, however, an even greater number of creatures which are 

 permanent residents, and are to be found with us in some stages of 

 their lives at all seasons of the year. 



Many marine animals or plants thrive only between tides, and 

 must be exposed to the air for at least an hour or two every day. 

 Such are the barnacles, some snails, and the great masses of olive- 

 green seaweed with gas filled cavities in its stems called Fucits. 

 Otliers, such as the Ijrown, salmon-pink, and white sea anemones 

 fMetridiuiii iiiargiiintuiiij and tlie common starfish (Asterias forhe- 

 siij, delight in the shallow tide-pools but do not thrive if long ex- 

 posed to the air. 



Great numbers of creatures live along the coast beyond the 

 influence of the tides and find their homes among the eel-grass, 

 under stones or mud, or roaming freely through the water. 



Others, such as the Portugese man-o-war fPliysiiliaJ, the beau- 

 tiful, purple floating snail (Jantliina), and a host of jellyfishes and 

 crustaceans find themselves at liome far out at sea and never come 

 near land imless drifted along the coast by accident. Such are 

 the creatures which even thousands of miles from land cause the 

 ocean to glisten with brilliant flecks of phosphorescent light, if 

 the water be agitated at night. 



But there are other creatures which spend their whole lives 

 up)on the bottom of the deep sea, and have jjeen dredged from all 

 depths down to four and one-half miles. Here they live in the ice- 

 cold water of the depths, where the darkness is profound and where 

 no current moves. Many of them have ver}^ large eyes, or are j^ro- 

 vided with remarkablj' long or delicate "feelers," and phosphores- 

 cent areas iipon their skins, and thus they find their way around 

 in their cold, dark, changeless world. A considerable number of 



