34 



A New Biological Station and its Aim. By C. II. Eioknmann. 



One of the most promising fields for biological research is variation. Varia- 

 tion n(»t only in the adult individuals, but in every step of the ontogeny. De- 

 seriptive zoology, as far as the higher groups are concerned, is well nigh ex- 

 hausted. The general distribution of most of the vertebrates of North America is 

 fairly well known, and it remains but to fill in details. Closely allied to variation 

 is heredity. To these two subjects much of the energy that has hiilierto been de- 

 voted to systematic zoVilogy may be profitably diverted. The suljject of variation 

 or method of evolution is not a new one. I want to jirojiose a new method of 

 studying this subject. 



Ihiring the coming summer a new biological station will be established some- 

 where in Indiana, whose chief aim will be the survey of a base-line for future 

 studies in variation. A limited and well defined area, such as is to be found in 

 <ine of the smaller lakes of Northern Indiana, will be selected, an<l the tinimals, 

 chiefly non-migratory vertebrates of such a limited area, will be studied in detail 

 f»r a series of years, if necessary. This survey will serve as the base-line foi' the 

 study of variation of the same animals in the other localities. For economic 

 reasons the fishes and reptiles will receive most of our attention. 



An attempt will be made to determine the kind of variation, continuous or 

 discontinuous, and the limits of variation. These limits should be examined for 

 a series of years, or at definite longer intervals to note the annual, or biennial, or 

 triennial, etc., variations, if any, from a given mean. The study contlucted in 

 this way ought to demonstrate the methods of evolution. A most interesting part 

 of the work will be the variation in the early stages of ontogeny, the segmentation, 

 etc., and the relation of such variations to variations in the mature animal. 



Very little could be done towards an tinderstanding of meteorology by isolated 

 observations of atraos])heric phenomena, yet on just this sort of observation many 

 of our ideas of the methods of evolution are based. In a few cases large series of 

 individuals have been examined, which had been collected at different times and 

 at different places, but so far we know little or nothing of the limits of variation 

 of any vertebrate within a limited territory, a single locality or anything of the 

 annual variation. It is just this knowledge that we must have to test the current 

 views of the methods of evolution. 



At a recent meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana Univer.sity I was 

 granted the use of the apparatus of the zoological laboratory for a summer station. 

 The station will be a part of the Zoological Department of the University and will 

 afford specialists in this department opportunities in field and survey work. 



