Secondly, what causes the length and narrowness of the bands?
The appearance so much resembles that which may be seen in every torrent, where the stream uncoils into long streaks the froth collected in the eddies, that I must attribute the effect to a similar action either of the currents of the air or sea.

Under this supposition we must believe that the various organised bodies are produced in certain favourable places, and are thence removed by the set of either wind or water.

I confess, however, there is a very great difficulty in imagining any one spot to be the birthplace of the millions of millions of animalcula and confervae: for whence come the germs at such points ?--the parent bodies having been distributed by the winds and waves over the immense ocean.

But on no other hypothesis can I understand their linear grouping.

I may add that Scoresby remarks that green water abounding with pelagic animals is invariably found in a certain part of the Arctic Sea.
(PLATE 7.