glaucus-第10节

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man　living　knoweth。



Next；　what　are　the　striped　pears？　　They　are　sea…anemones；　and　of　a　

species　only　lately　well　known；　Sagartia　viduata；　the　snake…locked　

anemone　（Pl。　V。　Fig。　3（5））。　　They　have　been　washed　off　the　loose　

stones　to　which　they　usually　adhere　by　the　pitiless　roll　of　the　

ground…swell；　however；　they　are　not　so　far　gone；　but　that　if　you　

take　one　of　them　home；　and　put　it　in　a　jar　of　water；　it　will　expand　

into　a　delicate　compound　flower；　which　can　neither　be　described　nor　

painted；　of　long　pellucid　tentacles；　hanging　like　a　thin　bluish　

cloud　over　a　disk　of　mottled　brown　and　grey。



Here；　adhering　to　this　large　whelk；　is　another；　but　far　larger　and　

coarser。　　It　is　Sagartia　parasitica；　one　of　our　largest　British　

species；　and　most　singular　in　this；　that　it　is　almost　always　（in　

Torbay；　at　least；）　found　adhering　to　a　whelk：　　but　never　to　a　live　

one；　and　for　this　reason。　　The　live　whelk　（as　you　may　see　for　

yourself　when　the　tide　is　out）　burrows　in　the　sand　in　chase　of　

hapless　bivalve　shells；　whom　he　bores　through　with　his　sharp　tongue　

（always；　cunning　fellow；　close　to　the　hinge；　where　the　fish　is）；　

and　then　sucks　out　their　life。　　Now；　if　the　anemone　stuck　to　him；　

it　would　be　carried　under　the　sand　daily；　to　its　own　disgust。　　It　

prefers；　therefore；　the　dead　whelk；　inhabited　by　a　soldier　crab；　

Pagurus　Bernhardi　（Pl。　II。　　Fig。　2）；　of　which　you　may　find　a　dozen　

anywhere　as　the　tide　goes　out；　and　travels　about　at　the　crab's　

expense；　sharing　with　him　the　offal　which　is　his　food。　　Note；　

moreover；　that　the　soldier　crab　is　the　most　hasty　and　blundering　of　

marine　animals；　as　active　as　a　monkey；　and　as　subject　to　panics　as　

a　horse；　wherefore　the　poor　anemone　on　his　back　must　have　a　hard　

life　of　it；　being　knocked　about　against　rocks　and　shells；　without　

warning；　from　morn　to　night　and　night　to　morn。　　Against　which　

danger；　kind　Nature；　ever　MAXIMA　IN　MINIMIS；　has　provided　by　

fitting　him　with　a　stout　leather　coat；　which　she　has　given；　I　

believe；　to　no　other　of　his　family。



Next；　for　the　babies'　heads；　covered　with　prickles；　instead　of　

hair。　　They　are　sea…urchins；　Amphidotus　cordatus；　which　burrow　by　

thousands　in　the　sand。　　These　are　of　that　Spatangoid　form；　which　

you　will　often　find　fossil　in　the　chalk；　and　which　shepherd　boys　

call　snakes'　heads。　　We　shall　soon　find　another　sort；　an　Echinus；　

and　have　time　to　talk　over　these　most　strange　（in　my　eyes）　of　all　

living　animals。



There　are　a　hundred　more　things　to　be　talked　of　here：　　but　we　must　

defer　the　examination　of　them　till　our　return；　for　it　wants　an　hour　

yet　of　the　dead　low　spring…tide；　and　ere　we　go　home；　we　will　spend　

a　few　minutes　at　least　on　the　rocks　at　Livermead；　where　awaits　us　a　

strong…backed　quarryman；　with　a　strong…backed　crowbar；　as　is　to　be　

hoped　（for　he　snapped　one　right　across　there　yesterday；　falling　

miserably　on　his　back　into　a　pool　thereby）；　and　we　will　verify　Mr。　

Gosse's　observation；　that　…



〃When　once　we　have　begun　to　look　with　curiosity　on　the　strange　

things　that　ordinary　people　pass　over　without　notice；　our　wonder　is　

continually　excited　by　the　variety　of　phase；　and　often　by　the　

uncouthness　of　form；　under　which　some　of　the　meaner　creatures　are　

presented　to　us。　　And　this　is　very　specially　the　case　with　the　

inhabitants　of　the　sea。　　We　can　scarcely　poke　or　pry　for　an　hour　

among　the　rocks；　at　low…water　mark；　or　walk；　with　an　observant　

downcast　eye；　along　the　beach　after　a　gale；　without　finding　some　

oddly…fashioned；　suspicious…looking　being；　unlike　any　form　of　life　

that　we　have　seen　before。　　The　dark　concealed　interior　of　the　sea　

becomes　thus　invested　with　a　fresh　mystery；　its　vast　recesses　

appear　to　be　stored　with　all　imaginable　forms；　and　we　are　tempted　

to　think　there　must　be　multitudes　of　living　creatures　whose　very　

figure　and　structure　have　never　yet　been　suspected。





〃'O　sea！　old　sea！　who　yet　knows　half

Of　thy　wonders　or　thy　pride！'〃

GOSSE'S　AQUARIUM；　pp。　226；　227。





These　words　have　more　than　fulfilled　themselves　since　they　were　

written。　　Those　Deep…Sea　dredgings；　of　which　a　detailed　account　

will　be　found　in　Dr。　Wyville　Thomson's　new　and　most　beautiful　book；　

〃The　Depths　of　the　Sea；〃　have　disclosed；　of　late　years；　wonders　of　

the　deep　even　more　strange　and　more　multitudinous　than　the　wonders　

of　the　shore。　　The　time　is　past　when　we　thought　ourselves　bound　to　

believe；　with　Professor　Edward　Forbes；　that　only　some　hundred　

fathoms　down；　the　inhabitants　of　the　sea…bottom　〃become　more　and　

more　modified；　and　fewer　and　fewer；　indicating　our　approach　towards　

an　abyss　where　life　is　either　extinguished；　or　exhibits　but　a　few　

sparks　to　mark　it's　lingering　presence。〃



Neither　now　need　we　indulge　in　another　theory　which　had　a　certain　

grandeur　in　it；　and　was　not　so　absurd　as　it　looks　at　first　sight；　…　

namely；　that；　as　Dr。　Wyville　Thomson　puts　it；　picturesquely　enough；　

〃in　going　down　the　sea　water　became；　under　the　pressure；　gradually　

heavier　and　heavier；　and　that　all　the　loose　things　floated　at　

different　levels；　according　to　their　specific　weight；　…　skeletons　

of　men；　anchors　and　shot　and　cannon；　and　last　of　all　the　broad　gold　

pieces　lost　in　the　wreck　of　many　a　galleon　off　the　Spanish　Main；　

the　whole　forming　a　kind　of　'false　bottom'　to　the　ocean；　beneath　

which　there　lay　all　the　depth　of　clear　still　water；　which　was　

heavier　than　molten　gold。〃



The　facts　are；　first　that　water；　being　all　but　incompressible；　is　

hardly　any　heavier；　and　just　as　liquid；　at　the　greatest　depth；　than　

at　the　surface；　and　that　therefore　animals　can　move　as　freely　in　it　

in　deep　as　in　shallow　water；　and　next；　that　as　the　fluids　inside　

the　body　of　a　sea　animal　must　be　at　the　same　pressure　as　that　of　

the　water　outside　it；　the　two　pressures　must　balance　each　other；　

and　the　body；　instead　of　being　crushed　in；　may　be　unconscious　that　

it　is　living　under　a　weight　of　two　or　three　miles　of　water。　　But　so　

it　is；　as　we　gather　our　curiosities　at　low…tide　mark；　or　haul　the　

dredge　a　mile　or　two　out　at　sea；　we　may　allow　our　fancy　to　range　

freely　out　to　the　westward；　and　down　over　the　subaqueous　cliffs　of　

the　hundred…fathom　line；　which　mark　the　old　shore　of　the　British　

Isles；　or　rather　of　a　time　when　Britain　and　Ireland　were　part　of　

the　continent；　through　water　a　mile；　and　two；　and　three　miles　deep；　

into　total　darkness；　and　icy　cold；　and　a　pressure　which；　in　the　

open　air；　would　crush　any　known　living　creature　to　a　jelly；　and　be　

certain　that　we　shall　find　the　ocean…floor　teeming　everywhere　with　

multitudinous　life；　some　of　it　strangely　like；　some　strangely　

unlike；　the　creatures　which　we　see　along　the　shore。



Some　strangely　like。　　You　may　find；　for　instance；　among　the　sea…

weed；　here　and　there；　a　little　black　sea…spider；　a　Nymphon；　who　has　

this　peculiarity；　that　possessing　no　body　at　all　to　speak　of；　he　

carries　his　needful　stomach　in　long　branches；　packed　inside　his　

legs。　　The　specimens　which　you　will　find　will　probably　be　half　an　

inch　across　the　legs。　　An　almost　exactly　similar　Nymphon　has　been　

dredged　from　the　depths　of　the　Arctic　and　Antarctic　oceans；　nearly　

two　feet　across。



You　may　find　also　a　quaint　little　shrimp；　CAPRELLA；　clinging　by　its　

hind　claws　to　sea…weed；　and　waving　its　gaunt　grotesque　body　to　and　

fro；　while　it　makes　mesmeric　passes　with　its　large　fore　claws；　…　

one　of　the　most　ridiculous　of　Nature's　many　ridiculous　forms。　　

Those　which　you　will　find　will　be　some　quarter　of　an　inch　in　

length；　but　in　the　cold　area　of　the　North　Atlantic；　their　cousins；　

it　is　now　found；　are　nearly　three　inches　long；　and　perch　in　like　

manner；　not　on　sea…weeds；　for　there　are　none　so　deep；　but　on　

branching　sponges。



These　are　but　two　instances　out　of　many　of　forms　which　were　

supposed　to　be　peculiar　to　shallow　shores　repeating　themselves　at　

vast　depths：　　thus　forcing　on　us　strange　questions　about　changes　in　

the　distribution　and　depth　of　the　ancient　seas；　and　forcing　us；　

also；　to　reconsider　the　old　rules　by　which　rocks　were　distinguished　

as　deep…sea　or　shallow…sea　deposits　according　to　the　fossils　found　

in　them。



As　for　the　new　forms；　and　even　more　important　than　them；　the　

ancient　forms；　supposed　to　have　been　long　extinct；　and　only　known　

as　fossils；　till　they　were　lately　rediscovered　alive　in　the　nether　

darkness；　…　for　them　you　must　consult　Dr。　Wyville　Thomson's　book；　

and　the　notices　of　the　〃Challenger's〃　dredgings　which　appear　from　

time　to　time　in　the　columns　of　〃Nature；〃　for　want　of　space　forbids　

my　speaking　of　them　here。



But　if　you　have　no　time　to　read　〃The　Depths　of　the　Sea；〃　go　at　

least　to　the　British　Museum；　or　if　you　be　a　northern　man；　to　the　

admirable　public　museum　at　Liverpool；　ask　to　be　shown　the　deep…sea　

forms；　and　there　feast　your　curiosity　and　your　sense　of　beauty　for　

an　hour。　　Look　at　the　Crinoids；　or　stalked　star…fishes；　the　〃Lilies　

of　living　stone；〃　which　swarm