be remarked with reason with
reference to this, that if life in an organism may so to speak be
suspended for months by freezing stiff without being destroyed, what
is there to prevent this suspension being extended over years,
decades, or centuries?

The common idea, that all animal life ceases, when the interior
animal heat sinks under the freezing-point of water, is besides not
quite correct. This is proved by the abundant evertebrate life which
is found at the bottom of the Polar Sea, even where the water all
the year round has a temperature of -2 deg. to -2.7 deg. C, and
by the remarkable observation made during the wintering at Mussel
Bay in 1872-73, that small Crustacea can live by millions in
water-drenched snow at a temperature of from -2 deg. to -10.2 deg. C.
On this point I say in my account of the expedition of 1872-73:--[266]

[Illustration: BEETLES FROM PITLEKAJ.
_a._ _Carabus truncaticollis_ ESCHSCHOLTZ.
(One and a half the natural size.)
_b._ _Alophus sp._ (One find two-thirds the natural size.) ]

"If during winter one walks along the beach on the snow
which at ebb is dry, but at flood tide is more or less
drenched through by sea-water, there rises at every step
one takes, an exceedingly intense, beautiful, bluish-white
flash of light, which in the spectroscope gives a
one-coloured labrador-blue spectrum. This beautiful flash
of light arises from the snow, before completely dark, when
it is touched. The flash lasts only a few moments after the
snow is left untouched, and is so intense, that it appears
as if a sea of fire would open at every step a man takes.
It produces indeed a peculiar impression on a dark and
stormy winter day (the temperature of the air was sometimes
in the neighbourhood of the freezing-point of mercury) to
walk along in this mixture of snow and flame, which at
every step one takes splashes about in all directions,
shining with a light so intense that one is ready to fear
that his shoes or clothes will take fire."

[Illustration: PHOSPHORESCENT CRUSTACEAN FROM MUSSEL BAY.
_Metridia armata_, A. Boeck.
1. A male magnified twelve times.
2. A foot of the second pair. ]

On a closer examination it appeared that this light-phenomenon proceeded
from a minute crustacean, which according to the determination of Prof
W. LILLJEBORG belongs to the species _Metridia armata_, A. Boeck, and
whose proper element app