THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 81 



that the spring exuberance depends largely on the sun- 

 light, and partly on the temperature of the water and 

 vertical currents in the sea which aid in the circulation 

 of food materials. 



III. The Abyssal Fauna 



Every one has seen more or less of the other haunts of 

 life, but no one has had any vision of the Deep Sea — ^the 

 abyssal region beyond the light Umit and the plant limit. 

 Many have been within a stone's throw, or drop rather, 

 of it ; a few have had the rare experience of dredging 

 from its distant floor ; many have examined Deep-Sea 

 animals iu museums ; but no one has ever seen its secrets 

 in their natural setting. 



The study of the Deep Sea is relatively modern, but 

 its progress has been strikingly rapid. In 1818 Sir John 

 Eoss dredged a brittle-star {Astrofhyton) from 800-1,000 

 fathoms, but this discovery appears to have supplied no 

 stimulus. In 1841 Edward Forbes dredged without 

 result in deep water in the Mediterranean, and Sir James 

 Eoss's similar attempts in 1847 were not more successful. 

 Naturalists of the middle of the nineteenth century spoke 

 of the Deep Sea as an abyss where hfe is either extinct, or 

 exhibits but a few sparks to mark its lingering presence. 

 In 1860, however, when the cable from Sardinia to Algiers 

 was hfted for repair from a depth of 1,000 fathoms, fifteen 

 animals were found attached to it — a discovery which fired 

 enthusiasm. Surgeon-General WalUch should be remem- 

 bered, we think, as one of the early pioneers, along with 

 W. B. Carpenter, Huxley and Wjrville Thomson. The 

 cruises of the Lightning (1868) and the Porcupine (1870) 



G 



