Chapter I: Preface

The story of the life of animals and plants in the sea is one with so many aspects, that it is difficult to choose the points that may be included, and those that may be omitted from a book intended for the general reader. To some the story of the food Fishes and the Whales is of the greatest interest; to others the beautiful shapes and colours of shells have a predominating fascination; and to those who have devoted themselves to geological study, the history of the animals that contribute to the formation of the reefs and the ocean-bed present features of special attraction. To many, then, the perusal of my book must lead to disappointment as no one of these aspects has been treated adequately; but if some new interest is awakened, some new train of thought quickened into life, one of the objects I had in view will have been gained.

The book is only intended to be a sketch of some of the most important lines of scientific researches which are now being pursued by zoologists in many parts of the world. Discoveries, which are of the deepest interest to all intelligent minds, are in many cases described in books and periodicals that do not come within the reach of the general public. I have tried, therefore, to collect some of them into a small compass and describe them in language which I trust will be intelligible to those who have not been trained in the alphabet of zoological technicalities. The use of some long words was unavoidable, but I have endeavoured to explain them adequately either in the text or in the index.

Some of the illustrations have been copied from the works of other Naturalists, and the sources from which they came are acknowledged in the list of illustrations; but the majority of them have been drawn, specially for this work, from specimens from the Manchester Museum or my own collections.

SYDNEY J. HICKSON.

_November 1897._

CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAGE

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 8

I. OCEANOGRAPHY 9

II. SHALLOW-WATER FAUNA 23

III. SHALLOW-WATER FAUNA OF THE TROPICS 55

IV. SURFACE-SWIMMING FAUNA (INVERTEBRATES) 82

V. SURFACE-SWIMMING FAUNA (VERTEBRATES) 118

VI. DEEP-SEA FAUNA 135

VII. COMMENSALISM AND PARASITISM 146

VIII. THE ORIGIN OF THE MARINE FAUNA 172

INDEX 180

ADVERTISEMENTS 184

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

ILLUSTRATION PAGE

_Frontispiece._--A Jelly-fish with the fry of the Horse Mackerel
(from specimens captured by Mr F. W. Gamble off Valentia). 2

Fig. 1--Globigerina Shell 21

Fig. 2--Radiolarian Shells 22

Fig. 3--Common Pipe-fish (from Royal Natural History) 25

Fig. 4--Phyllopteryx (from Royal Natural History) 26

Fig. 5--Diagrams of Eyes 27

Fig. 6--A branch of the Zoophyte Obelia 30

Fig. 7--Medusa produced by Obelia 31

Fig. 8--A Bivalve Mollusc 35

Fig. 9--The common Sole 37

Fig. 10--The Angler (from Royal Natural History) 38

Fig. 11--Vertical section of a Balanus (after Claus) 40

Fig. 12--Nauplius larva of a Balanus (after Groom) 41

Fig. 13--Sea-urchin 43

Fig. 14--Smooth-shelled Gastropod 47

Fig. 15--Spiny Gastropod 47

Fig. 16--A Cuttle-fish 49

Fig. 17--The Wrasse 51

Fig. 18--The John Dory 54

Fig. 19--Polyp of a Madrepore Coral (after Fowler) 58

Fig. 20--Chætodon 62

Fig. 21--Globe-fish 64

Fig. 22--Stereosoma 67

Fig. 23--Coral-reefs 69

Fig. 24--Periophthalmus 74

Fig. 25--Free-swimming Copepod (after Claus) 88

Fig. 26--Swim-bladder of Velella 96

Fig. 27--Solitary form of Salp 99

Fig. 28--Pteropod 101

Fig. 29--Shells of Foraminifers 104

Fig. 30--Globigerina 105

Fig. 31--Young larva of a Star-fish 111

Fig. 32--Pluteus larva 113

Fig. 33--Long-spined Barnacle-nauplius (after Chun) 116

Fig. 34--Sun-fish 122

Fig. 35--The common Porpoise 129

Fig. 36--A deep-sea Fish (after Filhol) 139

Fig. 37--Hermit-crab and Sponge 149

Fig. 38--Section through a Sponge showing Hermit-crab 150

Fig. 39--A Trepang 153

Fig. 40--A Crab-gall 158

Fig. 41--A parasitic Copepod 169

THE STORY OF LIFE IN THE SEAS.