﻿238 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  B. 
  Carpenter 
  on 
  the 
  Nature 
  of 
  the 
  [Feb. 
  4, 
  

  

  distinction 
  between 
  the 
  living 
  surface-layer 
  and 
  the 
  dead 
  sub-surface 
  

   layer, 
  and 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  in 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  Deep 
  

   Sea 
  that 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  prevent 
  or 
  even 
  to 
  retard 
  the 
  decomposition 
  of 
  the 
  

   dead 
  sarcode 
  bodies 
  of 
  Globigerince. 
  We 
  know 
  that 
  oxygen 
  is 
  present 
  in 
  

   Oceanic 
  water, 
  even 
  to 
  its 
  abyssal 
  depths, 
  in 
  sufficient 
  proportion 
  for 
  the 
  

   maintenance 
  of 
  Animal 
  life 
  ; 
  and 
  what 
  suffices 
  for 
  this, 
  must 
  be 
  adequate 
  

   to 
  promote 
  the 
  decomposition 
  of 
  organic 
  matter. 
  There 
  is, 
  moreover, 
  a 
  

   significant 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  undecomposed 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  sarcode 
  

   bodies 
  of 
  the 
  Globigerince 
  of 
  the 
  surface-layer, 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  serve 
  

   as 
  food 
  to 
  various 
  higher 
  animals 
  which 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  bottom. 
  This 
  

   was 
  first 
  pointed 
  out 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Wallich, 
  who 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  

   the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  Ojghiocomce 
  brought 
  up 
  in 
  his 
  1260 
  fathoms 
  sounding, 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  fresh-looking 
  Globigerince 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  broken 
  

   up, 
  minute 
  yellow 
  amorphous 
  particles, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  oil-globules 
  (' 
  North- 
  

   Atlantic 
  Sea-bed,' 
  p. 
  145). 
  And 
  I 
  have 
  subsequently 
  verified 
  his 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  cases 
  *, 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  clear, 
  from 
  the 
  foregoing 
  facts, 
  that 
  the 
  onus 
  jgrobandi 
  

   rests 
  on 
  those 
  who 
  maintain 
  that 
  the 
  Globigerince 
  do 
  not 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  ; 
  and 
  such 
  proof 
  is 
  altogether 
  wanting. 
  The 
  most 
  cogent 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  that 
  proposition 
  would 
  be 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  capture, 
  

   floating 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  waters, 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  thick-shelled 
  specimens 
  which 
  

   are 
  at 
  present 
  only 
  known 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  brought 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  sea-bed. 
  

   And 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  such 
  specimens 
  would 
  only 
  prove 
  that 
  even 
  in 
  this 
  

   condition 
  the 
  Globigerince 
  can 
  float 
  ; 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  show 
  that 
  they 
  cannot 
  

   also 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  bottom. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  Globigerince 
  not 
  only 
  live, 
  but 
  propagate, 
  on 
  the 
  Sea-bottom, 
  

   is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  (as 
  already 
  stated) 
  of 
  enormous 
  multitudes 
  

   of 
  very 
  young 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  immediately 
  overlying 
  it. 
  And 
  

   thus 
  all 
  we 
  at 
  present 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  this 
  most 
  important 
  

   type 
  seems 
  to 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion, 
  that 
  whilst 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  stages 
  of 
  

   their 
  existence 
  they 
  are 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  waters, 
  they 
  sink 
  to 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  on 
  reaching 
  adult 
  age, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  increasing 
  thickness 
  

   of 
  their 
  shells, 
  that 
  they 
  propagate 
  there 
  (whether 
  by 
  gemmation 
  or 
  

   sexual 
  generation 
  is 
  not 
  known), 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  young, 
  rising 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   repeat 
  the 
  same 
  history. 
  

  

  I 
  now 
  proceed 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  surface-fauna 
  and 
  

   the 
  bottom-deposit 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  as 
  constant 
  as 
  Prof. 
  Wyville 
  Thomson 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  Murray 
  affirm 
  it 
  to 
  be. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  proved 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  want 
  of 
  Foraminiferal 
  life 
  

   in 
  the 
  Mediterranean. 
  Prof. 
  W. 
  C. 
  Williamson 
  long 
  ago 
  pointed 
  out 
  

  

  * 
  Thus 
  Man 
  indirectly 
  draws 
  sustenance 
  from 
  the 
  Globigerince 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  Cod 
  which 
  

   he 
  fishes 
  on 
  the 
  Faroe 
  Banks 
  chiefly 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  Ojphiocomcs 
  which 
  swarm 
  there, 
  these 
  

   again 
  on 
  the 
  Globigerince, 
  whilst 
  the 
  Globigerince 
  seem 
  to 
  draw 
  their 
  sustenance 
  from 
  

   the 
  organic 
  matter 
  universally 
  diffused 
  through 
  sea-water, 
  making 
  it 
  a 
  very 
  dilute 
  

   broth 
  ! 
  

  

  