I 144 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



were so minded he would find it easy to abound on the 

 purely scientific advantages of a Marine Biological Labora- 

 tory. But he condescends for once to read us a lesson as 

 effective as that which, according to Aristotle, Thales once 

 read to his contemporaries. The story runs that the father 

 of philosophy, foreseeing an abundant crop of olives, 

 bought up all the olive-presses in the neighbourhood, and 

 when his prediction came true he let out his presses at an . 

 enormous profit. This shows, says Aristotle, that the 

 philosopher can beat the practical man on his own ground 

 when he chooses, only, as his object is knowledge and not 

 profit, he does not generally care to do so. We have no 

 doubt that 'A Naturalist' is very much of Aristotle's 

 opinion; but the countryman of Bacon does not permit 

 himself to forget that science should produce fruit as well 

 as light, and therefore he recommends a scheme for a 

 Marine Biological Laboratory by showing us how the 

 researches pursued in similar institutions established else- 

 where have already resulted in promoting the supply of 

 oysters. 



''The whole story is full of interest and instruction. . 

 . . . Professor Brooks was not so successful as Thales, 

 however ; he did not himself make a fortune out of his 

 discovery. He succeeded in showing the possibility of 

 fertilizing the eggs artificially, and of rearing the young 

 oysters until after they had acquired their shells ; but he 

 failed to keep them alive until they were able to take care 

 of themselves. The next step in practical discovery was 

 taken by Lieutenant Winslow, of the United States Navy, 

 who had followed the experiments of Professor Brooks, 

 and, being afterwards stationed at Cadiz, repeated the 

 experiments with Portuguese oysters, and found that they 

 also exhibited habits of breeding identical with those of 



