68 Millport Marine Biological Station. [Sess. 



that going out in a small boat was spending the days of 

 one's life very unprofitably. Mr Murray has it in contem- 

 plation to have a marine station somewhere in the West of 

 Scotland. Arran had been strongly recommended, but when 

 they saw the extent of rich dredging-ground and variety 

 and extent of shore, all within so short a distance of the 

 central point, Millport, besides an easy run to all the lochs 

 of the Firth, they were all in one mind that Millport was 

 greatly preferable to Arran or any other place that had 

 been thought of. Fortunately, all round Cumbrae the 

 dredging was exceedingly successful." ^ The time had not 

 yet come, however, for the building of a biological station 

 at Millport, and as a substitute for it, the " Ark " was in 

 1885 "drawn up on the shore at Millport in a small 

 creek named Portloy, where she lay safe till the night of 

 20th December 1900." (See Plate VII.^) During the 

 greater part of that time the vessel did duty as a museum 

 and laboratory combined, and was visited by many thousands 

 of persons, the number for 1896 alone being 5528. The 

 funds then collected warranted a start being made with 

 the erection of a permanent building, and the first sod was 

 cut by Dr Robertson on August 7, 1896. When the founda- 

 tion-stone was laid, on October 1 7 following, Dr Eobertson was 

 too ill to be present, and died on 20 th November, a few 

 days before completing his 90th year. According to Dr 

 Eobertson's wishes, his large and valuable collections were 

 housed in " The Robertson Museum," as it is now called, in 

 the upper floor of the Station buildings. These buildings 

 were opened on May 15, 1897, by Dr John Murray, and the 

 equipment of the Station has since gone on apace. 



Before entering into any details regarding the work of the 

 new Station, the destruction of the " Ark " may here be 

 notitjed. During the night of December 20, 1900, when 

 the vessel was securely anchored, as it was thought, in 

 Portloy creek, Millport was visited by a most destructive 

 gale, accompanied by an abnormally high tide. In the 



1 Quoted at p. 338 of ' The Naturalist of Cumbrae— A True Story : Being the 

 Life of David Robertson,' by the Rev. T. R. R. Stabbing, M. A. London : 189L 



^ Tlie block for this illustration has been kindly lent by John A. Todd, Esq., 

 Hon. Secretary to the Marine Biological Association of the West of Scotland. 



