A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE 21 



collections in the world, says in his annual report for 1884, 10 that the 

 expenses of an immense natural-history collection are so great that it 

 would be far cheaper, with the present facilities and the cost of travel, 

 to supply the student with the necessary funds for valuable researches, 

 than to go on for years spending in salaries of curators and the care of 

 collections, sums of money which, if spent in a different manner, in 

 promoting original investigation in the field or in the laboratory and in 

 providing means for the publication of such original researches, would 

 do far more towards the promotion of natural history than our past meth- 

 ods of spending our resources. 



This fact has become widely recognized during the last ten years, 

 as is shown by the establishment of marine laboratories by several of 

 the European institutions of learning; and in the summers of 1883 and 

 1884 we had with us at our laboratory a young English naturalist (Wm. 

 Bateson) who had been provided by the Royal Society of London with 

 funds for his researches, the results of which have recently been published 

 in England. 



The Johns Hopkins University was among the first to recognize and 

 act upon this new departure in zoology, and our little marine station 

 is almost as old as the great Naples laboratory. Briefly stated its history 



* 



is as follows: 



In 1878 a small appropriation was made to enable a party of biologists 

 from the University to spend a few weeks at the seashore in the study of 

 marine zoology. Through the influence of Maj. Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, 

 the Secretary of War permitted us to occupy the vacant building at 

 Fort Wool. Prof. Spencer F. Baird also exerted his influence with the 

 Secretary of War in our behalf, and aided us in many other ways; fur- 

 nishing us with dredging apparatus and with three small row-boats. 

 The scientific results of our season's work were printed in an illustrated 

 volume, the cost of publishing which was borne by the following citizens 

 of Baltimore : Samuel M. Shoemaker, John W. Garrett, John W. McCoy, 

 Enoch Pratt, P. R. Uhler, T. B. Ferguson, Dr. Geo. Reuling, President 

 Oilman, Professor Martin and others. 



In 1879 the appropriation for the maintenance of the laboratory was 

 renewed, and in order to present an opportunity for studying the oyster 

 beds of Maryland, the laboratory was opened in three of the barges of 

 the Maryland Fish Commission at Crisfield, Maryland, a point which 

 proved to be very unfavorable. Maj. T. B. Ferguson, the State Fish 

 Commissioner, not only provided the barges for our accommodation, 



10 Report of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. 



