A MARINE BIOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY. 461 



yard in full sight a few miles away, Cottage City, Gay Head, and 

 Nantucket in neighborly proximity, the environment is certainly 

 not without attractive features. In the " gutters," " holes," and 

 tidal currents ; in the stretches of shore, varied and multiplied 

 by " necks," rocky points, bays, flats, and adjacent islands ; in a 

 multitude of fresh-water basins and lakes completely isolated and 

 inviting to experimental studies — in all these the naturalist finds 

 a combination of natural advantages that is assuredly rare. One 

 of the indispensable conditions to our work is pure sea- water, and 

 that we find at Woods Holl, for there is no muddy river or city 

 sewerage to vitiate it and drive away shore forms of life. The 

 climate is cool and invigorating throughout the summer, and in 

 the winter it is moderated by ocean temperatures. The fauna 

 and flora are exceptionally rich for this latitude, and every year 

 adds to the wealth of material which we can control for embryo- 

 logical purposes. The tropical seas, of course, offer greater riches 

 in this respect ; but the question we have to consider is this : 

 Where can an observatory best be placed to meet the needs of the 

 greater number of biologists for summer work, and at the same 

 time to best serve the ends of a permanent staff of investigators ? 

 Accessibility and a stimulating climate outweigh all the advan- 

 tages of a rich fauna and flora, when these must be accepted with 

 a climate which, if not dangerous, is at least enervating, and when 

 the locality is not within convenient reach. In fact, all such 

 advantages can be added without neglecting the paramount con- 

 siderations of health and availability. They can not only be 

 added, but also multiplied almost without a limit, by simply equip- 

 ping a station with such means as will enable it to carry its 

 research to any part of the Atlantic or Pacific coast, or even to 

 the more remote seas of the earth. Such an equipment would be 

 expensive, but is it not precisely what a biological observatory 

 demands ? No single locality, be it never so rich in life, can fur- 

 nish more than an infinitesimal part of the wealth of the seas. 

 The only effective means of commanding extensive advantages in 

 the way of select material is that of itinerary research. This fact 

 has been recognized and emphasized by those who have given 

 most attention to marine work. Any plan for a great central 

 station which does not include this all-important feature may be 

 pronounced a failure in advance. Such provision must be equally 

 necessary and equally expensive, whether the location be in the 

 tropical or the temperate zone. If special material is required, it 

 must be sought where it abides, be this one mile or twelve thou- 

 sand from the center. Center there must be, and the more you 

 limit the radius, the more local and the less satisfactory your 

 facilities. Let the center be where the investigator can afford to 

 spend his life, where his vitality is highest, and his energy most 



