THE GEE AT EST BIOLOGICAL STATION. 



425 



station must be appointed to a particular table for a definite time by 

 his government, universit}^ or the controlling committee of that 

 'table,' and this is the system which has worked so well for over quarter 

 of a century and which gives a certain stamp and tradition to some at 

 least of the tables. 



The opportunities for taking part in collecting expeditions at sea 

 are most valuable to the young naturalist, and especially to such as have 

 not had previous experience of the rich Mediterranean fauna. Dredg- 

 ing, 'plankton' collection and fishing are carried on daily in the Bay of 

 Naples by means of the two little steamers (the 'Johannes Miiller' and 

 the 'Francis Balfour* — both classic names in biology) belonging to the 



In the Library. 



station, and by a flotilla of fishing and other smaller boats which start 

 for work in the very early morning and return laden with treasure in 

 time to supply the workers in the laboratory for the day. Many of the 

 Neapolitan fishermen are more or less in the employ of the station 

 and bring to the laboratory such rare specimens as they may chance to 

 find in their day's work. 



Chevalier Dr. S. Lo Bianco, the genial chief of the collecting and pre- 

 serving department, has a phenomenal knowledge of the marine fauna, 

 and of where, when and how to catch any particular thing — and, more- 

 over, of how best to preserve it when caught. Each afternoon he visits 

 the laboratories and ascertains the wants of the workers, each night he 



