Book Description

Excerpt from The Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 1886-88, Vol. 4: Zoology As many Species of Brachiopoda live at considerable depths, it is not surprising that so small a number Should have been known to early conchologists, and that for many years they should have been such great rarities in conchological collections. The numerous well-conducted dredging expeditions have, however, brought to light a large number of forms that were not previously known, and we may constantly expect to add to the number of Species as dredging operations extend to regions not yet explored. It has been ascertained beyond doubt that Brachiopoda are much localized, and that where they occur they'are generally abundant. It has also been found that the range in depth of one and the same Species is often very variable, that abyssal forms have generally a very thin shell, and that Species living at a great depth have a much greater geographical range, and are not nearly so localized as those Species that live in shallow waters. The study of the species brought home by the Challenger Expedition, which I was privileged to examine and describe, has revealed much valuable information with respect to the bathymetrical and geographical distribution of many species. The greatest depth at which a recent species of the class has been found alive was 2900 fathoms. A number Of forms inhabit and prefer rocky and stony parts of the bottom, or are attached to corals, and are therefore more difficult to obtain. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.