THE EUROPEAN SEAS. 



101 



natural consequence of this accumulation of good 

 food, fishes abound, and many of our deep sea and 

 white fisheries owe their value to the zoological 

 features of the coralline zone. 



The abyssal regions of the Celtic seas are scarcely 

 included within their more characteristic portions. 

 The depths of ocean that bound the shallower 

 soundings along the western side of Ireland and 

 Scotland would, doubtless, if carefully explored, 

 reward the naturalist richly for his labour, if not 

 with new or extraordinary forms, at least with a 

 knowledge of facts, desired, but not yet obtained. 

 Some indications of the conditions of animal life 

 in the Atlantic depths near our shores were ob- 

 tained by Captain Vidal during his deep-sea survey, 

 and, such as they were, held out good prospect. 



It would seem that the tribes of annelides of the 

 genus Ditrupa, tooth-like shells, very similar to 

 Dentalium in their shapes, are especially abundant. 

 The approach to land at the entrance of the 

 Channel has long been inferred by mariners, from 

 the presence of the shells, called Hake's teeth {Di- 

 trupa Gadus), among the soundings on the lead 

 obtained from deep water. It is probable that 

 there is little difference between the fauna of the 

 great depths hereabouts and that of the abysses of 

 the Mediterranean, and we may hope, by their 

 exploration, to track the course from north to south 

 of certain species (such as Limea Sarsii among the 

 mollusca) that have not as yet been noticed in the 



