58 The Hopkins Seaside Laboratory. [ZOE 
Phoebe (Say’s?) in which a bee’s sting was found in the base of 
the tongue. 
The birds were all shot about apiaries and were seen darting 
upon and catching the bees. The examinations were made witha 
hand lens. Mr. Barnett regards the occurrence: of the sting 
found in the Phoebe as accidental and concludes that Flycatchers 
are beneficial in reducing the number of drones. 
* * * * * * * * * * 
Since the foregoing notes were written I have received an 
excellent and timely work by Dr. A. K. Fisher on The Hawks 
and Owls of the United States in their Relation to Agriculture, 
and which in itself is so complete and conclusive that I may 
withdraw the meagre notes which I have made upon rapacious 
birds; they only confirm the conclusions of Dr. Fisher that most 
of the hawks and owls are far more beneficial than injurious to 
the agricultural interests of the country. The microscopical 
examinations, so far as I made, of the contents of the stomachs 
of the small land birds of California; are vastly in favor of the 
desirability of protecting them all. A few local instances where 
actual damage has been done, notably in fruit orchards, must 
not be taken as a criterion of the value of the species throughout 
the State and throughout the entire year. 
THE HOPKINS SEASIDE LABORATORY. 
With Plate xxvi, 
BY O. P. JENKINS. 
The necessity for seaside laboratories for advancement in bio- 
logical science has been thoroughly discussed and practically 
settled. 
In Europe the conclusions of this discussion have been more 
extensively accepted and acted upon than in this country. 
Within the past twenty years a large number of such stations 
have been established on the coasts of the various countries of - 
Europe. Of all these the most famous on account of its mag- 
nificent equipment both in appliances and in a very complete 
library, as well as for the grand results which have followed its 
