300 Professor Balfour's Supplementary Note to 



Supplementary Note to Mr Traill's Paper. By Professor 

 Bayley Balfour. 



Mr Traill's work upon the Alga of the Dunbar coast has 

 been completed at a most opportune time, when, as I shall 

 presently relate, opportunities, such as have been hoped for 

 during many years — have been even supposed to be afforded, 

 though they have not been — are at last provided in our 

 neighbourhood for steady and continuous, and it is to be 

 hoped successful, work upon the life-history of the Algee of 

 our coasts. It is a sad confession, but it will not be news I 

 think to members of this Society, that the study of Algae in 

 this country is in a, shall I say, depressed condition at 

 present. I do not require to remind members that there was 

 a time when Great Britain took the lead in the work upon 

 these plants. The early numbers of our Transactions will 

 have told this to all of you, for here in Edinburgh some of 

 the best researches into the group were made. But alas ! the 

 names of Greville, Walker- Arnott, Ealfs, Smith, Hassall are 

 classical now — but where are the successors ? We have, 

 fortunately, amongst us Mr Traill who has shown himself by 

 his ability and knowledge a worthy follower of the older men 

 — but in Scotland what other algologists have we ? And it 

 has come to this, that if one wants fresh- water Algse accurately 

 and carefully named they have to be sent to continental 

 authorities; and that although we inhabitants of Britain 

 have the sea all around us, and easy of access, yet more work 

 upon the Alga3 is accomplished in the centre of Germany 

 than is done in this country. 



But as in other forms of depression let us hope there is a 

 lowest limit. And there are now signs of more attention being 

 devoted to the subject of Algte in this country ; and one of the 

 most efficient stimuli to this line of research is the creation 

 of such laboratories for study and work as that I am now 

 going to refer to, and which has been recently formed at 

 Dunbar. 



As you are aware, such laboratories, especially for the study 

 of marine animal-life, have been founded at several places on 

 our shores. At Plymouth there is a large establishment, partly 

 endowed by Government ; at Liverpool also there is one. At 



