THE OCEAN WORLD.
LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
Plate I.—The Argonaut sailing in the open sea.
THE
OCEAN WORLD:
BEING A DESCRIPTION OF
THE SEA AND ITS LIVING INHABITANTS.
BY
LOUIS FIGUIER.
THE CHAPTERS ON CONCHOLOGY REVISED AND ENLARGED
BY CHARLES O. GROOM-NAPIER, F.G.S., &c.
WITH 427 ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN;
AND 596, BROADWAY, NEW YORK.
PREFACE.
"Our Planet is surrounded by two great oceans," says Dr. Maury,the eminent American savant: "the one visible, the other invisible;one is under foot, the other over head. One entirely envelopes it, theother covers about two-thirds of its surface." It is proposed in "TheOcean World" to give a brief record of the Natural History of oneof those great oceans and its living inhabitants, with as little of thenomenclature of Science, and as few of the repulsive details of Anatomy,as is consistent with clearness of expression; to describe theocean in its majestic calm and angry agitation; to delineate its inhabitantsin their many metamorphoses; the cunning with which theyattack or evade their enemies; their instructive industry; theirquarrels, their combats, and their loves.
The learned Schleiden eloquently paints the living wonders of thedeep: "If we dive into the liquid crystal of the Indian Ocean, themost wondrous enchantments are opened to us, reminding us of thefairy tales of childhood's dreams. The strangely-branching thicketsbear living flowers. Dense masses of Meandrineas and Astreas contrastwith the leafy, cup-shaped expansions of the Explanarias, andthe variously-branching Madrepores, now spread out like fingers, nowrising in trunk-like branches, and now displaying an elegant array ofinterlacing tracery. The colouring surpasses everything; vivid greensalternate with brown and yellow; rich tints, ranging from purple and[vi]deepest blue to a pale reddish-brown. Brilliant rose, yellow, or peach-colouredNullipores overgrow the decaying masses: they themselvesbeing interwoven with the pearl-coloured plates of the Retipores,rivalling the most delicate ivory carvings. Close by wave the yellowand lilac Sea-fans (Gorgonia), perforated like delicate trellis-work.The bright sand of the bottom is covered with a thousand strangeforms of sea-urchins and star-fishes. The leaf-like Flustræ and Escharæadhere like mosses and lichens to the branches of coral—the yellow,green, and purple-striped limpets clinging to their trunks. The sea-anemonesexpand their crowns of tentacula upon the rugged rocks oron flat sands, looking like beds of variegated ranunculuses, or sparklinglike gigantic cactus blossoms, shining with brightest colours.
"Around the branches of the coral shrubs play the humming-birdsof the ocean: little fishes sparkling with red or blue metallic glitter,or gleaming in golden green or brightest silvery lustre; like spirits ofthe deep, the delicate milk-white jelly-fishes float softly through thecharmed world. Here gleam the violet and gold-green Isabelle, andthe flaming yellow, black, and vermilion-striped