Page:Polar Exploration - Bruce - 1911.djvu/172

168 (Calanus finmarhicus) in my tow-net in the space of a few minutes. These enormous swarms of animal life form the basal food supply of the myriads of birds, and herds of seals and walrus, and the numerous whales. And it should always be remembered that man himself, when the worst comes to the worst, can find abundant food in the small crustaceans of the sea, if he has any means of catching them.

Though collecting animals and plants that live in Polar seas, and enumerating species is of great interest, much more than that is required of the modern biologist. He must try to find out what is the reason of there being certain species in Polar seas, of there being such enormous numbers of certain species, and the relationship which this marine life has to marine life in other seas. It is of immense interest when we discover facts regarding life in Polar seas that have a distinct bearing on human economy. A beginning of such discoveries has already been made, although we still see "as through a glass darkly."