Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/292

202 kinds of granitic and volcanic structure; but the most remarkable circumstance was drawing up from so great a depth beautiful specimens of living coral, which naturalists and geologists have hitherto concurred in believing unable to work beyond the pressure of a few fathoms below the surface. Corallines, Flustræ, and a variety of marine invertebrate animals, also came up in the net, showing an abundance and great variety of animal life. Amongst them I detected two species of Pycnogonum; Idotea Baffini, hitherto considered peculiar to the Arctic Seas; a chiton, seven or eight bivalves and univalves, an unknown species of Gammarus, and two kinds of Serpula, adhering to the pebbles and shells. I am indebted to the kindness of Charles Stokes, Esq, for some remarks on the very interesting species of corals obtained by us on this occasion, which will be found in the Appendix to this Volume, and the beautiful drawings he has made will appear in the zoology of the voyage now publishing.

It was interesting amongst these creatures to recognise several that I had been in the habit of taking in equally high northern latitudes; and although contrary to the general belief of naturalists, I have no doubt that from however great a depth we may be enabled to bring up the mud and stones of the bed of the ocean we shall find them teeming with animal life; the extreme pressure at the greatest depth does not appear to affect these creatures; hitherto we have not been able to determine this