MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 299 



local laboratories at various points around the coast, such 

 as those of the Liverpool Committee (at Port Erin), of 

 the Lancashire Sea-Fisheries (at Piel), and of the North- 

 umberland Committee (at Cullercoats). In place of any 

 such scheme of biological collaboration between existing 

 marine stations, the report of the Conference urges the 

 institution of the new central bureau and laboratory — an 

 elaborate and expensive organisation, which will probably 

 appear to most biologists a matter of quite secondary 

 importance, against which objections may be made. The 

 following one has already been raised*: — " With an elabor- 

 ate organisation, such as that suggested by the Conference, 

 there is a danger that the work of the biological stations 

 would degenerate into the mere taking and recording of 

 routine observations, whilst original work and the develop- 

 ment of new methods of research, which are in reality 

 of far greater importance, would receive a check. Good 

 men would certainly not be attracted to work which con- 

 sisted merely in recording observations taken according to 

 a stereotyped plan dictated by a central bureau. A large 

 amount of individual freedom to the workers is absolutely 

 essential in order to secure the best results from scientific 

 research." 



In my opinion, what we want at the present time is not 

 conferences or committees, or a central bureau, so much 

 as boats, men, and work at sea. 



The Future of the Biological Station. 



Since last Eeport the Bellevue Hotel (and with it the 

 Biological Station, built on the grounds of the hotel), like 

 so many other hotels in the Isle of Man, has passed into 

 the hands of a syndicate. After some negotiations, the 



* "Nature," Nov. 16th, 1899. 



