April, 1908.] The Murman Biological Station. 341 



Sea, which soon became an important center for research work in 

 Russia, and gained a world-wide reputation. 



We cannot, however, say the same thing about the Murman 

 Biological Station, established only in 1899, as yet very little 

 known, and which, by the way, is often confounded with its 

 unsuccessful predecessor, " The Biological Station of the Solovet- 

 sky Monastery." 



The history of this Murman Station presents a few interesting 

 features, so characteristic of every Russian "history." In 1882 

 Prof. Wagner, of the St. Petersburg University, was allowed to 

 carry on investigations on the northern fauna in a fisherman's 

 hut, belonging to the Solovetsky Monastery. This permission 

 he obtained through the courtesy of the Father-superior of the 

 Monastery, which is situated on the Solovetsky Islands, in the 

 middle of the White Sea, a relatively short distance from the 

 Arctic Ocean. Year after year, during the summer months, this 

 fisherman's hut was visited by investigators who studied the 

 rich animal and plant world of this region. In the micantime, 

 the fisherman's hut has undergone considerable change. A few 

 new buildings were added to it at the expense of the Society of 

 Naturalists, and it was made m.ore suitable for scientific work. 

 After a seventeen years' fruitful existence the laboratory had 

 to be abolished on these islands. The death-blow to the young 

 and growing institution was dealt by the new father-superior of 

 the monastery who denounced the scientific visitors of these 

 islands in his secret report to the office of the Holy Synod, by 

 lodging a complaint that the presence of "impious" scientists 

 acts demoralizingly upon the monks and pilgrims. The father- 

 superior's argument produced its effect, and the nature-students 

 soon packed up their luggage and started out in search for a new 

 settlement in that cold region. Such has been found on the 

 Murman Peninsula where the present Murman Biological Sta- 

 tion was established in 1899, and has operated successfully since. 

 They have fairly well equipped laboratories there, aquarium 

 rooms, museum, a reference library containing a few hundred 

 volumes, etc. The station is situated in an attractive rocky 

 locality right on the shore of the Kolsky Bay. 



The climate of this region is rather cold, the average yearly 

 temperature not being above degrees Centigrade, but July and 

 Auguts are very comfortably warm months. The flora and 

 fauna is very rich there, and as Prof. Derjugin tells me, there 

 is hardly a case when the dredge does not bring up a multitude of 

 various organisms. There have been listed over 500 representa- 

 tives of all the classes of invertebrates and fishes, and Hydrozoa, 

 Actinozoa, sea-urchins, star fishes, worms, planarians, nemertines, 

 molluscs, crustaceans, are all very abundant, and their eggs can 



