590.7(4) 1 69 



II. 



Fresh-water Biological Stations: E urope 's 

 Example. 



A /[ R. SCOURFIELD'S plea for a fresh-water biological station in 

 -'■''-*■ England (Nat, Sci., vol. x., p. 17, Jan., 1897) gave me much 

 pleasure. England is very late in making this proposal, and all 

 biologists working on lakes have often asked why the English lake- 

 district remains unexplored in this respect. 



Every day fresh-water biology assumes greater importance, and 

 in a country so far from the sea as Bohemia, we naturally came to 

 the conclusion that the study of our fresh waters was our first duty. 

 Last summer I delivered a course of lectures drawing attention to 

 the variety and interest of the life-groups in more than thirty kinds 

 of Bohemian fresh waters, each with its own special fauna and flora : 

 springs, mountain brooks, mountain rivers, rivers of the plain, back- 

 waters of large rivers, ponds, lakes, bogs, small pools with Apiis, snow- 

 tarns with Branchipus, etc. Each of these kinds of water varies in its 

 own fauna with the seasons of the year, and also from year to year 

 according as rain and sunshine also vary. Here is work for a century. 



Besides America, as you yourselves have mentioned, Russia also 

 is beginning to support the biological study of fresh water. A fixed 

 laboratory is to be established in connection with an agricultural 

 institution, while both moveable and smaller fixed stations will be 

 founded in different parts of Russia. The sum of 73,000 roubles has 

 been placed at their disposal. Even if these institutions were almost 

 to confine their attention to fish, biology would gain much. 



The sum of ;^500, which is suggested as enough to start such a 

 biological station in England, is none too much. The building for 

 our moveable station was presented to the committee by a friend of 

 mine, and cost him ;^7o. With all its internal fittings, it now has a 

 value of ^200, yet everything is very humble, and the want of better 

 instruments strongly felt. The annual working expenses of three 

 investigators amount to £^0, their work itself being given freely. 

 Nevertheless, we have just finished the examination of two lakes in 

 the Bohmerwald, the report on them being now in the press ; and the 

 station has been transferred to Podiebrad in the middle of Bohemia, 

 for the investigation of the river Elbe. At the fixed station, I may 



