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THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATIONS OF EUROPE. 



observations upon the l»est material sharper by criticism, most fruitful 

 in results. It has often been remarked how large a proportion of 

 recently published researches was dependent, directly or indirectly, 

 upon marine laboratories. 



A brief account of the more important of these stations should not 

 prove lacking' in suggestions; especially as in America the work of the 

 marine laboratory is often imperfectly understood. Its aims ha\'e been 

 associated popularly with those of practical lish culture; and even 

 among the trustees of universities a disposition has often been to regard 

 an annual subscription for a work place in a summer school as among 

 the little-needed expenditures of a biological department. So little 

 important has a marine station seemed that the greatest difficulties 

 have ever been encountered to insure the support of an American table 

 at Naples, although it was well known how large a number of our inves- 

 tigators were each year indebted to foreign courtesy for the privileges 

 of this station. 



General interest in the advancement of pure science has in Europe 

 become a prominent feature of the past decade, and there can be no 

 doubt of the importance that has come to be attached to studies bearing 

 upon the problems of life, evolution, heredity. Nor, at the same time, 

 does it appear that matters relating to practical fisheries have in any 

 way lost their interest or support. To these, on the contrary, the rise 

 of pure biology has often given important aids. What has appeared 

 abstract theory to-day has often been converted into practice to-morrow. 

 And even so ardent a partisan of puie biology as Prof, de Lacaze- 

 Duthiers does not hesitate to urge this, as sufficiently important in gen- 

 eral argument, to vindicate the governmental support of the labora- 

 tories of Koscoflt' and Bauyuls. "Facts have been found at every step 

 of science wliich were valueless at their discovery, but which, little by 



