202 



The St. Andrews Marine Laboratory (under tlie 

 Fishery Board for Scotland). 



By Prof. Mclntosli, F.R.«i. 



Peeliminaey Eemaeks. 



St. Andrews as a site for the study of marine animals 

 has a reputation probably at least as ancient as the founda- 

 tion of its University (the oldest Scottish, viz. 1411), for 

 amongst the early I'ecords of the latter allusion is made to 

 the marvels of the sea and its inhabitants as a means for 

 improving the minds of its students. For a long time, 

 however, no special lectures on natural history were given. 

 The scientific advantages of the situation, indeed, were first 

 prominently recognised by Edward Forbes and the brothers 

 Groodsir. Thus the former, for instance, picked up, for the 

 first time in Britain Echiurus, on the sands after a storm ; 

 and the two Goodsirs, as students, were familiar with its 

 marine I'arities, and afterwards read many zoological papers 

 at its Literary and Philosophical Society. Prof. .John 

 Reid, the physiologist, studied the development of zoophytes 

 and mollusks in its rock pools, and Prof. Gr. E. Day, his 

 successor in the Chair of Anatomy and Physiology, and Miss 

 Otte, lost no opportunity of interesting the students in 

 marine zoology. Besides, the occupants of the Chair of 

 Natural History from its foundation in 1753, and including 

 Professors Vilant, Dick, Forrest, Cleghorn, Adamson, Ferrie, 

 Macdonald, and Nicholson, as well as Dr. McYicar, the 

 University lecturer, all more or less drew from the rich 

 marine resources in their proximity. 



It is long since efforts were made in the direction of 

 founding a biological station at St. Andrews, and by one 

 at least this has been steadily kept in view since student- 

 days in 1853 — 57. On an opportunity presenting itself in 

 the beginning of 1875 the subject was again advocated, and 



