1891-92. ] THE BRESSA PRIZE. 187 
‘‘E. Heeckel’s work contains descriptions of the radiolaria, siphonifera and deep sea 
cornacuspongiz, collected by the “Challenger” in her voyages from 1873-1876. The 
naturalists on the “ Challenger” made large and valuable collections of the organisms 
living in the depths of the Ocean, and the British Government entrusted to Heckel the 
study of the above groups mentioned. In 160 he had already made known to science 
a number of radiolaria, and in his monograph on calcareous sponges and meduse, had 
laid the basis of a new branch of biological study—-comparative morphology—and had 
indicated the fundamental properties of protoplasm. From 1860 to 1888 he continued 
his studies on radiolaria. To this epoch belong his writings on the considerations 
which induced him to establish the kingdom of the Profista—intermediate between 
the animal and vegetable kingdoms. 
“Tn the first treatise offered for this competition, Haeckel increased the known 
species of radiolaria from 810 to 4,318, but beyond its importance to systematic 
zoology, we must consider the very great value of the anatomical and physiological 
portion of the work. The second relates to siphonifera. The delicate structure and 
the fragility of these animals, their life in colonies and the many instances of their 
polymorphism, render their study extremely difficult, and Heeckel’s notes have great 
value, not only on account of the new forms described, but also for the general theory 
of their organisation, embryogeny and philogeny—and the concerted work of the 
individuals and the colony. In the third treatise Haeckel describes systematically the 
corneous sponges of the deep seas, studies them histologically, and treats generally of 
the position of this group, and the proper classification of the porifera. In this 
memorandum are described the most important phenomena of the structure of 
hydroids and sponges. The three treatises form a work of 2,300 pages, with 200 
illustrations, drawn in great part by the author. They are undoubtedly the greatest work 
of the four years 1887-90, in respect of zoology, and acquire still more value as being 
part of a vast book through which the author, studying the fundamental phenomena 
of life, and the development and relations of organisms, has acquired the reputation of 
one of the greatest naturalists who ever lived, and has inscribed his name by the side 
of those of Linnzeus, Lamarck, Cuvier and Darwin. 
““We now pass to the works of Hertz. These are to the number of nine, and on 
account of their volume, but an imperfect account of them can be given. 
“¢ Although the number of electrical phenomena known and studied in all their par- 
ticulars is very great, our knowledge of the nature of electricity and the internal 
mechanism of these phenomena is very limited. The influence of a body, electrified — 
either by a shock or a current, is exercised upon distant bodies without our knowing 
how this influence is transmitted across the intervening space. Faraday was par- 
ticularly interested in this subject, and used certain devices for representing the 
condition in which electrical magnetic influence might in such a case be exercised. 
Maxwell, availing himself of the powerful aid of mathematics, carried the study of 
the theory of the causes of electrical phenomena a step farther, and proved that the 
luminiferous ether was the means for transmitting electrical influence, and, invading 
the field of hypothesis, founded the electro-magnetic theory of light, according to 
which all the phenomena of light are thought to be electro-magnetic in their nature. 
Some proofs were found to favor this theory, but they were indirect and incomplete. 
Hertz proposed to study experimentally the propagation of electric impulses, and 
availed himself of the extremely rapid oscillations which occur when an electric dis- 
charge takes place in certain circumstances. Suppose, for example, a conducting body 
