352 NOTES AND COMMENTS [may 



Prof. Herdman of these dangers that he believes that fish-hatching 

 may be justified " even if not a single individual out of the millions of 

 fry set free ever lives to become adult," for the additions of these 

 millions to any area must greatly diminish the risk of destruction 

 of the naturally hatched fry. There is, however, one point which 

 Prof. Herdman does not mention which has been dwelt on by other 

 critics, and which is again suggested by the results at Piel. As in 

 many other cases it was found impossible to induce the larvae to feed. 

 Even in the most successful cases they gradually diminished in 

 vigour as the yolk disappeared, and ultimately died without ever having 

 taken food independently. The curator suggests, as has been done by 

 others, that it will probably be better another year to free the larvae 

 before the yolk is completely absorbed. The obvious difficulty presents 

 itself that there is no 'proof that the larvae are more likely to survive 

 in the open sea than in the hatchery ; some observers indeed believe 

 that such larvae suffer from a form of anaemia likely to be as fatal in 

 the open sea as in the hatchery. Will such larvae be of value even 

 as food-supply to the enemies of the naturally hatched fry ? On the 

 whole it does not appear that we can go further than to say with 

 Prof. Herdman that marine fish-hatching is still in the experimental 

 stage. He believes, however, that the results so far obtained are 

 sufficient to encourage workers " to continue the work vigorously in a 

 hopeful spirit and with an open mind." There can, we think, be no 

 doubt from the report before us that, whether the Laboratory be as yet 

 economically justified or no, it certainly justifies its existence from the 

 scientific standpoint, and though we know that the scientist is not 

 concerned to show that his work has always a practical outcome, yet it 

 may not be amiss to repeat that experience proves that one cannot 

 tell where or when such practical outcome may be manifested. Indeed, 

 the results here set forth of investigations on mussels and oysters, on 

 plankton, on the food of young fishes, and so on, are laying a founda- 

 tion upon which scientific aquiculture may one day be built. 



<' Symphily." 



The word " Symphily " may sound like a conundrum to many learned 

 naturalists, but we are not responsible for more than the last letter of 

 it. In its German form " Symphilie " it is used by Wasmann and 

 others as a convenient term for the custom many ants have of showing 

 liberal hospitality to various other insects. Unlike the cuckoos, who 

 leave parental responsibilities to be discharged by proxy, not a few ants 

 seem to have a positive mania for adoption. In fact, they indulge in 

 hospitality to their own disadvantage, for at least some of the guests 

 which are adopted in youth become curses to their foster-parents. In 



