NARRATIVE. 87 



blue Pontella princeps and P. securifer, Pontellopsis armatus and Labidocera 

 kroy&ri. 



We reached Colombo at 4.30 p.m., and this brought to an end the second cruise of 

 the " Lady Havelock," which had lasted for three weeks and four days. We had 

 left Captain Donnan before the end of his inspection of the banks, because now that 

 I had seen all possible spots on the coast which might serve for a biological 

 laboratory and had selected Galle as being unquestionably the best, it seemed 

 desirable as the result of correspondence with the Lieutenant-Governor that I 

 should see for myself the several quarters at Galle that had been proposed and plan 

 out with Mr. Hornell the necessary alterations and fittings. We took with us 

 various samples of living oysters, both large (3 years old) and small (about 6 months) 

 which were conveyed safely from the pearl banks to Colombo in our steamer tanks 

 and from Colombo to Galle by train in large earthenware "chatties" of sea- water. 

 The journey occupied, with our necessary stoppages, four complete days at a very hot 

 time of year. We were, however, able at the end of it to deposit most of these 

 oysters in a living condition in the sea at Galle on the evening of March 22nd. They 

 soon recovered activity, and were found next morning to be climbing up the chatties 

 and on the netting in which we had enclosed them. The next three days were spent 

 at Galle in examining, along with Mr. H. W. F. C. Brodhurst, the Government Agent, 

 and Mr. T. Twynam, the Master Attendant, certain offices and bungalows in the Fort, 

 in the native Bazaar and near Bayley's Villa on Glosenburg (see fig. 7, p. 46). Not- 

 withstanding Professor Haeckel's favourable opinion of the last named as a site, 

 given 20 years ago, we found it necessary to reject that end of the bay in favour of 

 the Fort ; and in the end for several reasons, which I reported to the Lieutenant- 

 Governor, a portion of the former Military Hospital conveniently situated on the 

 ramparts at Akersloot or Sailors' Bastion, close to a good supply of clean sea-water, 

 was selected as being the locality best fitted for adaptation as a marine laboratory 

 (fig. 25). This report was acted on soon after I left Ceylon, with the result 

 that Mr. Hornell, upon his return from the pearl-banks in April with a further 

 supply of oysters, was very soon established in a simple but efficient laboratory at 

 Galle carrying on the work I had left in his hands. Since then Mr. Hornell has, 

 by fortnightly letters, and frequent longer reports, drawings and specimens, kept me 

 in close touch with all the details of his work ; and I have sent him what information 

 and instructions were necessary from time to time. The results of these observations 

 at the Galle Laboratory will be given in the later parts of this report. 



After having settled matters at Galle so far as was then possible, and having 

 deposited our pearl oysters in bags and baskets suspended from buoys and spars anchored 

 out in the bay (fig. 23), Mr. Hornell and I returned to Colombo late on March 25th. 

 The following day was occupied in seeing the Lieutenant-Governor in regard to the 

 laboratory at Galle, and other business, and in packing and despatching some of the 

 collections. Early in the morning of the 27th we started by coach to Chilaw, whence 



