76 New York State Museum 



tions along the shore where the struggle for existence 

 is greatest. 



Numerous studies have been made of the life of the 

 sea independently and through numerous biological 

 stations, such as the Danish Biological Station, the 

 Naples Biological Station etc., abroad ; and in this 

 country such as Woods Hole, Mass. ; Cold Spring 

 Harbor, L. I. ; Carnegie Institution, Tortugas, Fla. ; 

 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of 

 California; Puget Sound Biological Station etc. In 

 addition to these surveys there have been various state 

 and government surveys, particularly under the aus- 

 pices of the Bureau of Fisheries. European waters, 

 too, are being systematically studied and particularly 

 close surveys have been made in the waters surround- 

 ing the British Isles and in the Baltic sea and neigh- 

 boring waters. The information used in this chapter 

 has been drawn from a variety of sources, but only a 

 few of the references that are within the scope of the 

 reading of the amateur are given in the literature, 

 though many other references may be found in the 

 bibliographies of the works cited. In the following dis- 

 cussion more particular emphasis will be given to the 

 animal and plant associations of the shores of the 

 North Atlantic. 



It has been estimated that three-fourths of all kinds 

 of animals live on the land ; but while less than one- 

 fourth of the animals so far described live in the sea, 

 they include three times as many of the major types 

 as those inhabiting the land. The physical conditions 

 of the different localities and situations on land are 

 very variable. The conditions in the sea are different. 

 There is a small temperature range ; there is only a 



