THE FISH OF THE DEEP SEA
Of all the groups of animals that constitute the deep-sea fauna, the
fish show the greatest number of peculiarly abysmal characters. Being
much more highly differentiated than the invertebrates, they possess
more organs liable to undergo modifications of colour, size, and
structure, and consequently we are able to point to a great many more
features characteristic of deep-sea fish than we can do in any other
group of animals.
The first point that calls for remark in the consideration of the fish
fauna of the deep sea is the almost entire absence of ancient and
primitive types. The Elasmobranchii, including the Sharks, Rays, and
Chimæra, constituting the order that from anatomical embryological
grounds is always regarded by naturalists as the most primitive order of
this class, is represented in very deep water by only one species. _Raia
hyperborea_ and _Chimæra monstrosa_, it is true, just enter into the
abysmal zone, but _Chimæra affinis_ is the only Elasmobranch that
extends to depths of over 1,000 fathoms.
The Ganoidei too, the order that in palæozoic and mesozoic times was so
rich in genera and species, is entirely absent from the abysmal zone,
not a single representative having been found at any time by any of the
deep-sea expeditions.
The Dipnoi, that remarkable order including the three fresh-water
genera, _Ceratodus_ from Australia, _Lepidosiren_ from Brazil, and
_Protopterus_ from West Africa, has no representative and no ally in the
deep waters of the ocean.
The fishes of the deep sea, in fact, with only one or two exceptions,
all belong to the Order Teleostei, the most modern and most highly
differentiated order of the class, the families that are most fully
represented being the Macruridæ and then the Ophidiidæ and Gadidæ, and
the Berycidæ.
At the limits of the katantic and abysmal zones, a large number of
families of Teleosteans entirely disappear, and as we approach the
deepest parts of the ocean, the number of fish that are found is
considerably reduced. As Dr. Günther very wisely remarks, ‘this
diminution in the number may be due to the difficulty of capturing
fishes at great depths, a difficulty which increases in proportion to
the depths at which the dredge is worked. But it must also be regarded
as evidence of the actually diminished variety of fishes.’
It may be interesting to the reader to give Dr. Günther’s table of the
number of species found at different depths, as it shows, among other
things, the marked change that occurs in the character of the fauna in
passing from the katantic to the abysmal zone.
Between 100–300 fathoms, 232 species
Between 300–500 fathoms, 142 species
Between 500–700 fathoms, 76 species
Between 700–1,500 fathoms, 56 species
Between 1,500–2,000 fathoms, 24 species
Between 2,000–2,900 fathoms, 23 species
As regards the general character presented by the deep-sea fishes, I
have already pointed out in the chapter dealing with the general
characters of the deep-sea fauna, the peculiarities in the size of the
eyes, the colours and markings of the body, and the texture of the bones
and muscles. There are, however, a few more characters of which mention
must be made.
Notwithstanding the fact that all the abysmal fishes are carnivorous and
must consequently be capable—in the great number of cases—of rapid and
vigorous movement, the muscles of the trunk and tail are usually thin,
and the fascicles loosely connected with one another.
Deep-sea fish are not characterised by an absence of the swimming
bladder. This organ occurs just as frequently and in the same families
as in the shallow-water fauna, but we do not know whether it possesses
any special peculiarities or not, as it is usually so ruptured and
destroyed by the change of pressure it undergoes in being brought to the
surface, that it is impossible to make any thoroughly accurate
investigation of its anatomy and relations.
The extraordinary development of glands in the skin which secrete mucus,
and the presence in many forms of very highly specialised organs for
emitting phosphorescent light, are characters of the deep-sea fish
fauna, to which I have referred in a previous chapter.
As with the Tunicates, some of the Crustacea and other groups, the fish
of the abysmal zone show curious modifications of the respiratory
system. The gill laminæ of these animals are not only reduced in number,
but appear to be short and shrunken. It is possible, of course, that
during life they may end in fine delicate points which are broken off or
ruptured during their capture, but still the horny rods that support
them are shorter than they are in shallow-water forms, and the general
evidence of their structure tends to show that they have undergone
profound modifications in the change to the conditions of deep-sea life.
An extremely common and almost general character of deep-sea fishes is
the black coloration of some of the body cavities; this is limited to
the pharynx in many of the fishes that live about the hundred fathoms
limit, but the colour is more intense and spread all over the oral,
branchial, and peritoneal cavities in typical deep-sea forms. It may
seem very difficult at first to account for this remarkable development
of black pigment in parts of the body that are not usually, and, in some
cases, cannot at any time be exposed to view. It is obvious that it
cannot be functional as a hiding colour, either in offence or defence.
But it is quite possible that it is due to some modification of the
function of excretion. It is well known that in many cases of disease or
injury to the kidneys in vertebrates, the colour of the skin is
affected, and every one recognises now the fact that in many
invertebrates the colour of the skin is greatly dependent upon the
function of the secretion of the urates.
It would at least be interesting to know if this dark coloration of the
mucous membranes is in any way correlated with any modification of the
structure or function of the kidneys. At present we have no recorded
observations on this point, but it is to be hoped that, when we have a
sufficient number of specimens brought home from the deep water, a
systematic investigation of this subject will be made.
Lastly, it should be pointed out that our knowledge of the abysmal fauna
has not, at present, brought to light any evidence that the fish are of
an extraordinarily large size. In many groups of animals, as I have
frequently pointed out in the last few chapters, the large and gigantic
species or specimens are only found in the abyss. This may also be the
case with fishes, but we have no evidence that it is so. The only
methods that have been used at present for the investigation of the
fauna living on or near the floor of the deep oceans, are not of a kind
to lead to the capture of really large fish. That they may exist is
highly probable, but all that we know at present is, that the fish with
which we are acquainted living at great depths are not in any way
remarkable for their great size.
Of the only two Elasmobranchs, one, namely _Raia hyperborea_, has been
found in water extending from 400 to 608 fathoms in depth. Only four
specimens have yet been taken, one by the Norwegian expedition off
Spitzbergen and three by the ‘Knight Errant’ off the northern coasts of
Scotland. It is interesting to find that this, the only deep-sea species
of the Rays, shows some striking peculiarities. ‘The teeth are
remarkably slender,’ says Günther, ‘small, irregularly and widely set,
different from those of other British Rays. In young specimens at any
rate those of the male do not differ from those of the female. The
mucous membrane behind the upper jaw forms a pad with a lobulated
surface. The mucous cavities of the head are extremely wide, and finally
the accessory copulatory organs have a spongy appearance, and are
flexible, the cartilage by which they are supported being a simple
slender rod.’
The other Elasmobranch, that extends into very deep water, is _Chimæra
affinis_, a species which can hardly be distinguished from the better
known _Chimæra monstrosa_, a fish that itself very frequently wanders
within the limits of the abysmal zone.
Among the Teleostei, the family Berycidæ has several representatives in
the deep water. They are small fish rarely exceeding four inches in
length, with large heavy heads, with functional but small eyes, and an
abundant supply of large mucous glands on the skin.
_Melamphaes beanii_, belonging to this family, has been captured at the
enormous depth of 2,949 fathoms.
_Bathydraco antarcticus_, belonging to the family Trachinidæ, from a
depth of 1,260 fathoms, is an example of a true abysmal fish possessing
very large eyes.
The Pediculati, the family of the anglers, is represented at depths of
over 2,000 fathoms by the interesting form _Melanocetus Murrayi_. The
eyes are very small indeed, the mouth huge and armed with long uneven
rasp-like teeth. At the end of the fishing-rod tentacle hanging over the
mouth, there is an organ that has been supposed to be capable of
emitting a phosphorescent light. This curious modification of the red
worm-like bait of the common shallow-water angler into a will-o-the-wisp
lantern attracting little fishes to their destruction in the deadly jaws
of the _Melanocetus_ is one of the most interesting adaptations that
have been brought to light by our study of the deep-sea fauna.
Several species of the family Lycodidæ occur in the abysmal zone, but
they do not possess any features that call for special mention in this
place.
[Illustration: FIG. 21.—_Melanocetus Murrayi_, 1,850–2,450 fathoms.
(After Günther.)]
The family Ophidiidæ contributes very largely to the fish fauna of the
abyss. Some of the deep-water genera, such as _Neobythites_, have a wide
bathymetrical distribution extending from 100 fathoms to depths of over
2,000 fathoms, but others, such as _Bathyonus_, _Typhonus_, and
_Aphyonus_, only occur in depths of over 1,000 fathoms.
The body is usually elongate and slender, ending in a pointed tail, the
head large and heavy, and the eyes, in the genera confined to the
abysmal zone, usually so far degenerated that they are not visible at
all from the outside.
The Macruridæ form a family that contributes very largely to the
deep-sea fauna; no fewer than twenty-six different species are known to
occur within the limits of the abysmal zone. Not only do the Macruridæ
contribute a large number of different species, but they probably occur,
in some districts at any rate, in vast numbers.
During the voyage of the ‘Talisman,’ for example, the French naturalists
caught in one haul of the dredge off the coast of Morocco in 500 fathoms
of water no fewer than 134 fish, of which number 95 belonged to the
family Macruridæ.
They are usually small fish, measuring from a few inches to two feet in
length, with a body terminating in a long compressed tapering tail and
covered with spiny, keeled, or striated scales.
The Pleuronectidæ or flat fish are not, as a rule, found in the abysmal
zone; one species, however, _Pleuronectes cynoglossus_, was found by the
American ship ‘Blake’ to extend into 732 fathoms of water.
The families Sternoptychidæ and Scopelidæ are of particular interest to
us, as almost all the genera they contain belong either to the pelagic
or abysmal zones, and lend support to the view enunciated by Moseley,
that the deep-sea fauna has, partly at any rate, been derived from the
fauna of the pelagic zone. They are nearly all small slender fish with
delicate and frequently semi-transparent bodies, large gaping mouths
armed with numerous long irregular teeth, and frequently provided upon
the head and sides of the trunk with rows of eye-like phosphorescent
organs.
These families, and others that have still to be referred to, belong to
the group of Teleostei that is called Physostomi, the name referring to
the open communication that usually exists in all these families between
the swimming bladder and the alimentary canal. It is a remarkable fact
that in none of the deep-sea representatives has this open communication
been discovered. It is true that many specimens are, when examined, so
lacerated by the diminution in pressure as to render anatomical study a
matter of difficulty, but still a fair number of uninjured
well-preserved specimens have now been examined and the duct has not
been found.
Of the family Sternoptychidæ, _Gonostoma microdon_ has a most remarkable
distribution. It has been found at numerous stations in both the Pacific
and Atlantic Oceans at depths ranging from 500 to nearly 3,000 fathoms
of water.
The Scopelidæ are represented by some very extraordinary types. The
genus _Bathypterois_, for example, occurring in depths ranging from 500
to 2,500 fathoms, is characterised by the development of enormously long
pectoral fins to serve probably as organs of touch. ‘The rays of the
pectoral fin,’ says Dr. Günther, ‘are much elongated. The ventral fins
abdominal, with the outer rays prolonged, eight-rayed.... Gill rakers
long.’ They are further characterised by the absence of any true
phosphorescent organs and the smallness of their eyes.
There can be little doubt, I think, that in these fishes the sense of
touch or taste to a great extent takes the place of the sense of sight
in other Scopelids. Not being provided with well-developed eyes or
phosphorescent organs to attract their prey, the pectoral fins and the
outer rays of the pelvic fins have become elongated and provided with
special sense organs for searching for their food in the fine mud of the
floor of the ocean.
These long pectoral rays must have a very curious appearance in the
living fish. Mr. Murray observes: ‘When taken from the trawl they were
always dead, and the long pectoral rays were erected like an arch over
the head, requiring considerable pressure to make them lie along the
side of the body; when erected they resembled the Pennatulids like
Umbellula.’ Filhol considers that when the fish is progressing through
the obscurity of the abyss it probably carries these organs directed
forward, seeking with them in the mud for any worms or other animals
upon which it preys, or receiving through them warning of the approach
of an enemy from whom it is necessary to make an immediate escape. One
of the most remarkable of the deep-sea fish is closely related to
Bathypterois, namely _Ipnops Murrayi_, living in depths of over 1,000
fathoms. It is about five inches long, of a yellowish brown colour, with
an elongated subcylindrical body covered with large thin deciduous
scales. There are no phosphorescent organs of the ordinary type met with
in the Scopelidæ, but upon the upper surface of the head there is found
a pair of organs somewhat resembling the ordinary eyes of fishes but
devoid of retina and optic nerve, that, from the researches of Moseley,
seem to be undoubtedly organs for emitting light. ‘The organs are paired
expanses, completely symmetrical in outline, placed on either side of
the median line of the upper flattened surface of the head of the fish,
extending from a line a little posterior to the nasal capsules nearly to
a point above the posterior extremity of the cranial cavity.’ They are
covered by the upper walls of the skull, which is extremely thin and
completely transparent in the region lying over them. ‘They are
membranous structures 0·4 mm. in thickness marked by hexagonal areas
about 0·04 mm. in diameter. When their surface is viewed by reflected
light the appearance is that of a number of glistening white isolated
short columns standing up in relief from its basal membrane.’ Each
hexagonal column is composed of a number of transparent rods disposed
side by side at right angles to the outer surface of the organ, with
their bases applied against the concave surface of a large hexagonal
pigment cell, one of which forms the basis of each hexagonal column. It
is still very doubtful what are the true homologies of this
extraordinary phosphorescent organ, but Moseley was of opinion that, ‘on
the whole, it seems not unlikely that the remarkable head organs of
Ipnops may be regarded as highly specialised and enormously enlarged
representatives of the phosphorescent organs on the heads of such allied
Scopelidæ as _Scopelus rafinesquii_ and _Scopelus metopoclampus_. It may
be conceived that in _Ipnops_ the supra-nasal and sub-ocular
phosphorescent organs of these species on either side have united and
become one with the result of the total obliteration of the eye.’
Most of the species of the genus _Scopelus_ are undoubtedly pelagic in
habit, descending during the day to depths of semi-darkness but rising
at night to the surface waters. It is not certain how many of the known
species occasionally or habitually dwell in very deep water, but there
seems to be no doubt that two species at least—_S. macrolepidotus_ and
_S. glacialis_—belong to the abysmal zone. Both of these species were
found in dredges that had been at work in depths of over 1,000 fathoms
and showed signs when examined of having been brought from the abyss.
The Stomiatidæ are almost entirely confined to water from 450 to nearly
2,000 fathoms in depth. They may be distinguished from the Scopelidæ by
the long hyoid barbel close to the symphysis of the lower jaw, but like
many of the genera of that family they have wide gaping mouths armed
with a profusion of vicious looking teeth and a series of luminous spots
on the sides of the head and body. (_See_ Frontispiece.)
In _Eustomias obscurus_, found in depths of over 1,000 fathoms in the
Atlantic by the ‘Talisman,’ the barbel is provided with a terminal
swelling, shaped like a dumb-bell, which may be capable of emitting a
phosphorescent light and serve the animal as a lure for the attraction
of its prey. The genus _Malacosteus_, too, presents us with some of the
most remarkable forms that are found in the abysmal zone. The mouth is
of enormous size and the integuments of the abdomen present very
definite longitudinal folds, leaving no doubt that this fish is able,
like several others living in deep water, to swallow prey of an enormous
size.
But a perfectly unique structure in this fish ‘is a thin cylindrical
muscular band which connects the back part of the mandibular symphysis
with the hyoid bone. It is probably the homologue of a muscular band
which, in other Stomiatids, stretches on each side from the mandible to
the side of the hyoid, the two bands coalescing into an unpaired one in
_Malacosteus_. It is, in the present state of preservation, much
elongated, like a barbel, but during life it is notably contractile, and
serves to give to the extremity of the mandible the requisite power of
resistance when the fish has seized its prey, as without such a
contrivance so long and slender a bone would yield to the force of its
struggling victim.’
[Illustration: FIG. 22.—_Saccopharynx ampullaceus_; a deep-sea eel, with
the head of a large fish, which it has swallowed, showing through the
thin integuments of the body. (From Günther.)]
Belonging to the family of the Salmons we find one genus _Bathylagus_
that is undoubtedly an abysmal form. Although there may be some doubt as
to the exact depth at which the specimens were captured, the thinness of
the bones, the enormous size of the eyes, and other bathybial characters
prove that they must live in very deep water. Closely allied to the
salmon and the herrings is the family of the Alepocephalidæ, a family
that contributes several forms to the fauna of the deep sea, but they do
not possess any characters that call for special comment. Their vertical
distribution varies between 345 and 2,150 fathoms.
The family Halosauridæ contains five species all confined to the abysmal
zone. They have long bodies tapering to a finely pointed tail, and the
head is provided with a snout that projects considerably in front of the
mouth.
Of the family of the Eels there are several representatives in the deep
sea. They are characterised by a combination of true eel characters with
special modifications due to a bathybial existence. ‘To enable them to
seize upon prey more powerful than themselves certain organs have
undergone a degree of specialisation, as is observed in bathybial
members of other families with a similar mode of life; the jaws are
exceedingly elongate and the whole gape, the pharynx and stomach capable
of enormous distension.’ The head is very large, the eye very small and
the tail long and tapering (fig. 22).
The lessons we learn from the study of the fishes of the deep sea are
particularly instructive. It would take far more space than can be
afforded here to fully illustrate all of the points that seem clear to
us, but I hope I have said sufficient to show that the fish fauna is
made up of genera and species belonging to several widely separate
families of the Teleostei; that some of them show, in a very marked way,
what may be looked upon as peculiarly bathybial characters, whilst
others are but slightly modified from their shallow-water
representatives. These facts by themselves lend support to the view that
the fauna of the deep sea has been derived from the fauna of shallower
water by successive migrations at different periods of the world’s
history. Those that exhibit in a most marked degree the special
bathybial characters are probably those whose immigration took place
long ago, whilst those more closely related to shallow-water forms are,
comparatively speaking, recent importations. The occurrence of Scopelidæ
and Sternoptychidæ in deep water suggests, as Moseley pointed out many
years ago, that the fauna is partly derived from the pelagic plankton.
But while these points may seem clear to us, there are others that still
require much more investigation and consideration. The whole question of
the function and use of the phosphorescent organs, the mucous glands,
the barbels and elongated fin rays, the mode of life, the deposition of
ova and their development, afford problems which in the present state of
our knowledge must remain unsolved. Let us hope that in the future there
may be a new stimulus given to deep-sea research, and these problems may
be again seriously studied and eventually solved.
INDEX
Actiniaria, 36, 93
—— two remarkable genera of, 15
_Aegir_, 15
Agassiz, A.,
—— on colour of Cœlentera, 65
—— on Echinoidea, 101, 103
Agassiz, L., on board the ‘Hassler,’ 12
‘Albatross,’ American vessel, 15
Alcyonaria, 95
—— phosphorescence of, 81
Amphipoda, 124
Anemones
—— of deep water, 36, 92
—— two remarkable genera of, 15
Annelida, 117
Ascidia compositæ, 146
—— salpiformes, 147
—— simplices, 142
Asteroidea, 104
Barriers of temperature, 32
_Bathynomus_, 129
Beddard, F. E., on Isopoda, 127
Benthos, 53
Berycidæ, 154
‘Blake,’ American vessel, 12
Blue mud, 42
Brachiopoda, 115
Brachyura, 138
_Brisinga_, 9, 105
Buchanan’s experiment, 19
Carpenter, P. H., on Crinoidea, 100
_Cephalodiscus_, 113
Cephalopoda, 120
‘Challenger,’ H.M.S., voyage of, 12
Cirripedia, 130
Cœlentera,
—— colour of, 65
—— of deep sea, 91
Colour
—— of the deep-sea fauna, 59, 66
—— of the deep-sea fish, 60
Copepoda, 124
Corals, 94
Crinoidea, 99
Crustacea, 123
—— colour of, 63
Darkness of the abyss, 22
Diatom ooze, 39
Dipnoi, 149
Echinoderma, 99
—— colour of, 64
Echinoidea, 101
Eels, 165
Elasipoda, 106
Elasmobranchii, 148, 153
Eryonidæ, 135
Eyes of abysmal animals, 67
—— of deep-sea crustacea, 72
—— of deep-sea fish, 69
—— of deep-sea mollusca, 71
—— of _Genityllis_, 118
—— of _Neobythites_, 69
—— of _Serolis_, 73
_Fenja_, 15
‘Fish Hawk,’ American vessel, 12
Fol and Sarasin’s experiments, 25
Foraminifera, 90
Forbes, on the probable existence of a deep-sea fauna, 2
—— on zones of distribution, 49
Ganoidei, 149
Gasteropoda, 119
Gephyrea, 116
Gills of deep-sea fish, 151
Globerigina ooze, discovery of, 5
—— distribution and composition of, 37
Green mud, 42
Gunn, Dr., on the eyes of _Genityllis_, 118
Günther, Dr., on deep-sea fish, 150
Hall, Marshall, 12
Halosauridæ, 164
‘Hassler,’ American ship, 12
Herdman, on Ascidians, 143, 146
Hermit crabs, 139
Hoek, Dr., on Cirripedia, 132
—— on Pycnogonida, 140
Holothuridea, 106
Hoyle, on Cephalopoda, 120
Hydroids, 92
‘Investigator,’ H.M.S., 16
_Ipnops Murrayi_, colour of, 60, 61
_Ipnops Murrayi_, phosphorescent organs of, 160
Isopoda, 127
Katantic sub-zone, 50
‘Knight Errant,’ H.M.S., 12
Lamellibranchia, 119
‘Lightning,’ H.M.S., 8, 9
Lime, scarcity of, in bones of bathybial fish, 83
—— in shells of mollusca, 83
Littoral sub-zone, 49
Lycodidæ, 155
Macrura, 135
Macruridæ, 156
Madreporaria, 94
Medusæ, 91
Mollusca, 119
—— colour of, 62
Moore, Capt., 94
Moseley, H. N., on colour of Cœlentera, 65
—— on phosphorescent organs of _Ipnops_, 160
—— on the darkness of the abyss, 22
—— on the phosphorescence of Alcyonarians, 25
Murray, on _Bathypterois_, 159
Nekton, 53
Neritic zone, 48
‘Norma,’ Mr. Hall’s yacht, 12
Norske Nord-havns expedition, 7, 15
Ophidiidæ, 156
Ostracoda, 123
Packard, on the illumination of the abyss, 23
Pediculati, 155
Pelagic zone, 47
Pennatulidæ, 96
_Phoronis_, 111
Phosphorescence of Alcyonarians, 81
— of deep-sea Crustacea, 80
— of Echinoderma, 81
Phosphorescent light in the abyss, 24
— organs of deep-sea fish, 77
Pigment in mucous membranes of deep-sea fish, 84, 152
Plankton, 52
Pleuronectidæ, 157
Polar currents, 30, 33
Polychæta, 118
‘Porcupine,’ H.M.S., 8, 9
Porifera, 91
Pourtales, Count, 10
Pressure in the abyss, 19
Protozoa, 88
Pteropod ooze, 39
Pycnogonida, 139
Radiolaria, 89
Radiolarian ooze, 39
Red mud, 37
— — off the Brazilian coasts, 42
_Rhabdopleura_, 111
Ross, Sir James, on the fauna of the deep sea, 3
Salmonidæ, 163
Sargasso sub-zone, 48
Sars, 6, 9,
— on Amphipoda, 125
— on _Brisinga_, 105
Schizopoda, 133
Scopelidæ, 158
_Serolis_, 127
Siphonophora, 92
Size of deep-sea animals, 85
— of fish, 153
Smith, Mr., on Lamellibranchia, 119
Spatangoids, 101
Sponges, 91
Stebbing, Rev. T. R., on Amphipoda, 125
Sternoptychidæ, 158
Stomatopoda, 133
Stomiatidæ, 162
‘Talisman,’ French vessel, 12
Teleostei, 149, 154
Temperature of the abyss, 28
Thomson, Sir Wyville, on _Pourtalesia_, 10
— on _Thaumastocheles_, 137
— on the darkness of the abyss, 22
— on the phosphorescence of the sea, 26
Thoracostraca, 133
‘Travailleur,’ French vessel, 12
‘Triton,’ H.M.S., 12
Tunicata, 140
Vegetable life, absence of, 42
Verrill, on the illumination of the abyss, 23
‘Vittor Pessani,’ Italian vessel, 12
‘Vöringin,’ Norwegian vessel, 14
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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both text and plates is beyond criticism.”—_Philadelphia Public Ledger._
_IN AND OUT OF CENTRAL AMERICA; and other Sketches and Studies of
Travel._ By FRANK VINCENT. With Maps and Illustrations. 12mo.
Cloth, $2.00.
“Few living travelers have had a literary success equal to Mr.
Vincent’s.”—_Harper’s Weekly._
“Mr. Vincent has now seen all the most interesting parts of the world,
having traveled, during a total period of eleven years, two hundred and
sixty-five thousand miles. His personal knowledge of man and Nature is
probably as varied and complete as that of any person living.”—_New York
Home Journal._
_BRAZIL: Its Condition and Prospects._ By C. C. ANDREWS,
ex-Consul-General to Brazil. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.
“An extremely interesting account of the author’s observations and
impressions of people, places, laws, customs, social usages, etc.”—_New
Orleans Times-Democrat._
“The author did not search solely for the worst side of things, but
reports the situation as he found it, and in a fair and discriminating
spirit.”—_Jornal do Commercio._ (Rio de Janeiro).
_CHINA: Travels and Investigations in the “Middle Kingdom.”_ A Study
of its Civilization and Possibilities. With a Glance at Japan.
By JAMES HARRISON WILSON, late Major General United States
Volunteers and Brevet Major General United States Army. 12mo.
Cloth, $1.75.
“The book presents China and Japan in all these aspects; the manners and
customs of the people; the institutions, tendencies, and social ideas;
the government and leading men.”—_Boston Traveller._
_OUTINGS AT ODD TIMES._ By CHARLES C. ABBOTT, author of “Days out of
Doors” and “A Naturalist’s Rambles about Home.” 16mo. Cloth,
gilt top, $1.25.
“A charming little volume, literally at one with Nature, for it
discusses seasons and the fields, birds, etc., with the loving freedom
of a naturalist born. Every page reads like a sylvan poem; and for the
lovers of the beautiful in quiet out door and out-of-town life, this
beautifully bound and attractively printed little volume will prove a
companion and friend.”—_Rochester Union and Advertiser._
_A NATURALIST’S RAMBLES ABOUT HOME._ By CHARLES C. ABBOTT. 12mo.
Cloth, $1.50.
“The home about which Dr. Abbott rambles is clearly the haunt of fowl
and fish, of animal and insect life; and it is of the habits and nature
of these that he discourses pleasantly in this book. Summer and winter,
morning and evening, he has been in the open air all the time on the
alert for some new revelation of instinct, or feeling, or character on
the part of his neighbor creatures. Most that he sees and hears he
reports agreeably to us, as it was no doubt delightful to himself. Books
like this, which are free from all the technicalities of science, but
yet lack little that has scientific value, are well suited to the
reading of the young. Their atmosphere is a healthy one for boys in
particular to breathe.”—_Boston Transcript._
_DAYS OUT OF DOORS._ By CHARLES C. ABBOTT. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.
“‘Days out of Doors’ is a series of sketches of animal life by Charles
C. Abbott, a naturalist whose graceful writings have entertained and
instructed the public before now. The essays and narratives in this book
are grouped in twelve chapters, named after the months of the year.
Under ‘January’ the author talks of squirrels, muskrats, water-snakes,
and the predatory animals that withstand the rigor of winter; under
‘February’ of frogs and herons, crows and blackbirds; under ‘March’ of
gulls and fishes and foxy sparrows; and so on appropriately,
instructively, and divertingly through the whole twelve.”—_New York
Sun._
_THE PLAYTIME NATURALIST._ By Dr. J. E. TAYLOR, F.L.S., editor of
“Science Gossip.” With 366 Illustrations. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.
“The work contains abundant evidence of the author’s knowledge and
enthusiasm, and any boy who may read it carefully is sure to find
something to attract him. The style is clear and lively, and there are
many good illustrations.”—_Nature._
_THE ORIGIN OF FLORAL STRUCTURES through Insects and other Agencies._
By the Rev. GEORGE HENSLOW, Professor of Botany, Queen’s
College. With numerous Illustrations. 12mo. Cloth, $1.75.
“Much has been written on the structure of flowers, and it might seem
almost superfluous to attempt to say anything more on the subject, but
it is only within the last few years that a new literature has sprung
up, in which the authors have described their observations and given
their interpretations of the uses of floral mechanisms, more especially
in connection with the processes of fertilization.”—_From Introduction._
_THE GARDEN’S STORY; or, Pleasures and Trials of an Amateur Gardener._
By GEORGE H. ELLWANGER. With Head and Tail Pieces by Rhead.
12mo. Cloth, extra, $1.50.
“Mr. Ellwanger’s instinct rarely errs in matters of taste. He writes out
of the fullness of experimental knowledge, but his knowledge differs
from that of many a trained cultivator in that his skill in garden
practice is guided by a refined æsthetic sensibility, and his
appreciation of what is beautiful in nature is healthy, hearty, and
catholic. His record of the garden year, as we have said, begins with
the earliest violet, and it follows the season through until the
witch-hazel is blossoming on the border of the wintry woods.... This
little book can not fail to give pleasure to all who take a genuine
interest in rural life.”—_New York Tribune._
_THE ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS._ By ALPHONSE DE CANDOLLE. 12mo.
Cloth, $2.00.
“Though a fact familiar to botanists, it is not generally known how
great is the uncertainty as to the origin of many of the most important
cultivated plants.... In endeavoring to unravel the matter, a knowledge
of botany, of geography, of geology, of history, and of philosophy is
required. By a combination of testimony derived from these sources M. de
Candolle has been enabled to determine the botanical origin and
geographical source of the large proportion of species he deals
with.”—_The Athenæum._
_THE FOLK-LORE OF PLANTS._ By T. F. THISELTON DYER, M.A. 12mo. Cloth,
$1.50.
“A handsome and deeply interesting volume.... In all respects the book
is excellent. Its arrangement is simple and intelligible, its style
bright and alluring.... To all who seek an introduction to one of the
most attractive branches of folk-lore, this delightful volume may be
warmly commended.”—_Notes and Queries._
_FLOWERS AND THEIR PEDIGREES._ By GRANT ALLEN, author of “Vignettes of
Nature,” etc. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.
“No writer treats scientific subjects with so much ease and charm of
style as Mr. Grant Allen. The study is a delightful one, and the book is
fascinating to any one who has either love for flowers or curiosity
about them.”—_Hartford Courant._
“Any one with even a smattering of botanical knowledge, and with either
a heart or mind, must be charmed with this collection of
essays.”—_Chicago Evening Journal._
_THE GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF PLANTS._ By Sir J. WILLIAM DAWSON, F.R.S.
Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, $1.75.
“The object of this work is to give, in a connected form, a summary of
the development of the vegetable kingdom in geological time. To the
geologist and botanist the subject is one of importance with reference
to their special pursuits, and one on which it has not been easy to find
any convenient manual of information. It is hoped that its treatment in
the present volume will also be found sufficiently simple and popular to
be attractive to the general reader.”—_From the Preface._
_THE ICE AGE IN NORTH AMERICA, and its Bearings upon the Antiquity of
Man._ By G. FREDERICK WRIGHT, D. D., LL. D. With 152 Maps and
Illustrations. Third edition, containing Appendix on the
“Probable Cause of Glaciation,” by WARREN UPHAM, F.G.S.A., and
Supplementary Notes. 8vo. 625 pages, and complete Index. Cloth,
$5.00.
“Prof. Wright’s work is great enough to be called monumental. There is
not a page that is not instructive and suggestive. It is sure to make a
reputation abroad as well as at home for its distinguished author, as
one of the most active and intelligent of the living students of natural
science and the special department of glacial action.”—_Philadelphia
Bulletin._
_THE GREAT ICE AGE, and its Relation to the Antiquity of Man._ By
JAMES GEIKIE, F.R.S.E., of H. M. Geological Survey of Scotland.
With Maps and Illustrations. 12mo. Cloth, $2.50.
A systematic account of the Glacial epoch in England and Scotland, with
special reference to its changes of climate.
_THE CAUSE OF AN ICE AGE._ By Sir ROBERT BALL, LL. D., F.R.S., Royal
Astronomer of Ireland, author of “Starland.” The first volume in
the MODERN SCIENCE SERIES, edited by Sir JOHN LUBBOCK. 12mo.
Cloth, $1.00.
“An exceedingly bright and interesting discussion of some of the
marvelous physical revolutions of which our earth has been the scene. Of
the various ages traced and located by scientists, none is more
interesting or can be more so than the Ice age, and never have its
phenomena been more clearly and graphically described, or its causes
more definitely located, than in this thrillingly interesting
volume.”—_Boston Traveller._
_TOWN GEOLOGY._ By the Rev. CHARLES KINGSLEY, F.L.S., F.G.S., Canon of
Chester. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50.
“I have tried rather to teach the method of geology than its facts; to
furnish the student with a key to all geology; rough indeed and
rudimentary, but sure and sound enough, I trust, to help him to unlock
most geological problems which may meet him in any quarter of the
globe.”—_From the Preface._
_AN AMERICAN GEOLOGICAL RAILWAY GUIDE._ Giving the Geological
Formation along the Railroads, with Altitude above Tide-water,
Notes on Interesting Places on the Routes, and a Description of
each of the Formations. By JAMES MACFARLANE, Ph. D., and more
than Seventy-five Geologists. Second edition, 426 pp., 8vo.
Cloth, $2.50.
“The idea is an original one.... Mr. Macfarlane has produced a very
convenient and serviceable hand-book, available alike to the practical
geologist, to the student of that science, and to the intelligent
traveler who would like to know the country through which he is
passing.”—_Boston Evening Transcript._
WORKS BY ARABELLA B. BUCKLEY (MRS. FISHER).
_THE FAIRY-LAND OF SCIENCE._ With 74 Illustrations. Cloth, gilt,
$1.50.
“Deserves to take a permanent place in the literature of youth.”—_London
Times._
“So interesting that, having once opened the book, we do not know how to
leave off reading.”—_Saturday Review._
_THROUGH MAGIC GLASSES and other Lectures._ A Sequel to “The
Fairy-Land of Science.” Cloth, $1.50.
_CONTENTS._
THE MAGICIAN’S CHAMBER BY MOONLIGHT.
MAGIC GLASSES AND HOW TO USE THEM.
FAIRY RINGS AND HOW THEY ARE MADE.
THE LIFE-HISTORY OF LICHENS AND MOSSES.
THE HISTORY OF A LAVA-STREAM.
AN HOUR WITH THE SUN.
AN EVENING WITH THE STARS.
LITTLE BEINGS FROM A MINIATURE OCEAN.
THE DARTMOOR PONIES.
THE MAGICIAN’S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS.
_LIFE AND HER CHILDREN: Glimpses of Animal Life from the Amœba to the
Insects._ With over 100 Illustrations. Cloth, gilt, $1.50.
“The work forms a charming introduction to the study of zoölogy—the
science of living things—which, we trust, will find its way into many
hands.”—_Nature._
_WINNERS IN LIFE’S RACE; or, The Great Backboned Family._ With
numerous Illustrations. Cloth, gilt, $1.50.
“We can conceive no better gift-book than this volume. Miss Buckley has
spared no pains to incorporate in her book the latest results of
scientific research. The illustrations in the book deserve the highest
praise—they are numerous, accurate, and striking.”—_Spectator._
_A SHORT HISTORY OF NATURAL SCIENCE; and of the Progress of Discovery
from the Time of the Greeks to the Present Time._ New edition,
revised and rearranged. With 77 Illustrations. Cloth, $2.00.
“The work, though mainly intended for children and young persons, may be
most advantageously read by many persons of riper age, and may serve to
implant in their minds a fuller and clearer conception of ‘the promises,
the achievements, and claims of science.’”—_Journal of Science._
_MORAL TEACHINGS OF SCIENCE._ Cloth, 75 cents.
“The book is intended for readers who would not take up an elaborate
philosophical work—those who, feeling puzzled and adrift in the present
chaos of opinion, may welcome even a partial solution, from a scientific
point of view, of the difficulties which oppress their minds.”—_From the
Preface._
Recent Volumes of the International Scientific Series.
_A HISTORY OF CRUSTACEA._ By Rev. THOMAS R. R. STEBBING, M.A., author
of “The Challenger Amphipoda,” etc. With numerous Illustrations.
12mo. Cloth, $2.00.
“Mr. Stebbing’s account of ‘Recent Malacostraca’ (soft-shelled animals)
is practically complete, and is based upon the solid foundations of
science. The astonishing development of knowledge in this branch of
natural history is due to the extension of marine research, the
perfecting of the microscope, and the general diffusion of information
regarding what has been ascertained concerning the origin of species....
This volume is fully illustrated, and contains useful references to
important authorities. It is an able and meritorious survey of recent
crustacea.”—_Philadelphia Ledger._
“In all respects an admirable piece of work.”—_The Churchman._
“One of the most valuable and entertaining volumes in the series.... The
author is master of an engaging style, and offers words of cheer and
counsel to the beginner who may be dismayed by the bewildering riches of
the crustacean world. Every branch of the subject treated is presented
in the most interesting and significant light.”—_London Saturday
Review._
_HANDBOOK OF GREEK AND LATIN PALÆOGRAPHY._ By EDWARD MAUNDE THOMPSON,
D.C.L., Principal Librarian of the British Museum. With numerous
Illustrations. 12mo. Cloth, $2.00.
“Mr. Thompson, as principal librarian of the British Museum, has of
course had very exceptional advantages for preparing his book....
Probably all teachers of the classics, as well as specialists in
palæography, will find something of value in this systematic treatise
upon a rather unusual and difficult study.”—_Review of Reviews._
“A well-arranged manual from the hands of a competent authority.... Of
the nineteen chapters contained in the volume, seven deal with
preliminary topics, as the history of the Greek and the Latin alphabets,
writing materials, the forms of books, punctuation, measurement of
lines, shorthand, abbreviations, and contractions; five are devoted to
Greek palæography, seven to Latin.”—_The Critic._
“Covering as this volume does such a vast period of time, from the
beginning of the alphabet and the ways of writing down to the
seventeenth century, the wonder is how, within three hundred and
thirty-three pages, so much that is of practical usefulness has been
brought together.”—_New York Times._
_MAN AND THE GLACIAL PERIOD._ By G. FREDERICK WRIGHT, D.D., LL.D.,
author of “The Ice Age in North America,” “Logic of Christian
Evidences,” etc. With numerous Illustrations. 12mo. Cloth,
$1.75.
“The author is himself an independent student and thinker whose
competence and authority are undisputed.”—_New York Sun._
“It may be described in a word as the best summary of scientific
conclusions concerning the question of man’s antiquity as affected by
his known relations to geological time.”—_Philadelphia Press._
“The earlier chapters describing glacial action, and the traces of it in
North America—especially the defining of its limits, such as the
terminal moraine of the great movement itself—are of great interest and
value. The maps and diagrams are of much assistance in enabling the
reader to grasp the vast extent of the movement.”—_London Spectator._
New York: D. APPLETON & CO., 1, 3, & 5 Bond Street.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. P. 70, changed “japonicus” to “M. japonicus”.
2. P. 150, changed “fibres” to “fishes”.
.Moved advertising between half-title & Frontispiece to between the
index and the other advertising.
3. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.
4. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.
5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
6. Enclosed bold font in =equals=.