56o 



NATURE 



[June 22, 191 1 



ii ^ivnf Britain. With the single exception of the 

 GaUv Laboratory at St. Andrews, which is supported 

 by the university, the biological stations of England 

 derive only meagre rentals of a few tables directly 

 from university or educational funds. The stations 

 have been forced, therefore, to turn to memberships 

 of supporting societies composed to a considerable 

 extent of scientific men themselves, to private bene- 

 factors, and to the commercial interests of the fisheries 

 for aid. The result has been a relatively meagre 

 and fluctuating financial support, a large, but, for- 

 tunately, rarely predominating amateur, as over 

 against strictly scientific control, and a relatively very 

 large absorption of the funds and activities of the 

 British stations in scientific fisheries work. The 

 scientific fisheries work done by the British stations 

 is unsurpassed in its excellence and effectiveness, and 

 the popular features, such as public aquaria, elemen- 

 tary and technical instruction, are generally well 

 developed, but the strictly scientific phases of the 

 station's activities too often suffer for lack of adequate 

 financial support and from consequent loss of scien- 

 tific interest." 



The report describes the marine stations at Ply- 

 mouth, Lowestoft, Cullercoats, Port Erin, Piel, Mill- 

 port, and St. Andrews, and the Sutton Broads fresh- 

 water laboratory (which owes its origin and support 

 entirely to private benefaction), and points out their 

 special features and the facilities they offer. Appre- 

 ciative reference is made to the teaching work carried 

 on among the fishermen at Piel, as being mutually 

 beneficial and leading to a better understanding, on 

 the part of the investigators, of fisheries problems, 

 and on the part of fishermen to a more just appre- 

 ciation of the efforts of those who seek most wisely 

 to preserve the resources of British waters. 



The author urges that a well-equipped and scien- 

 tifically maintained aquarium should form part of 

 everv marine station easily accessible to the public, 

 for in no other way can attention be secured and 

 instruction so forcefully conveyed as by the never- 

 failinp interest presented by living creatures well 

 displayed. 



The bulletin before us affords striking proof of the 

 vitality of the principle carried into practice by the 

 late Prof. Dohrn, for it shows that there are nearly 

 one hundred institutions in Europe which may be 

 classed as biological stations. These and the labora- 

 tories of a similar type in other lands, which owe 

 their foundation to the stimulus and example given 

 by Prof. Dohrn, have exerted an inestimable influence 

 on biological science by placing the investigator in 

 positions of greatest advantage with respect to 

 living creatures, and by providing opportunities for 

 long-continued and close observation and experiment 

 upon abundant and varied material. Not the least 

 valuable factor of such laboratories is the stimulus 

 of contact with other investigators engaged in 

 different lines of research. 



In addition to the morphological and embrj'ological 

 researches, which, for many years constituted the 

 chief work done in biological stations, these stations 

 have in recent years facilitated the rapid extensions 

 which have taken place in the domain of experimental 

 physiology and in the wide application of experimental 

 methods to the casual analysis of biological 

 phenomena, thus helping materially to place the 

 science on a broader and more comprehensive basis. 

 Durimr the past decade the work of biological stations 

 has been more fully appreciated in regard to economic 

 and industrial affairs, as is witnessed by the founda- 

 tion of so many new laboratories on the continent of 

 Europe, and by the increasing use of their facilities 

 in medical instruction, in researches in comparative 

 ^O. 2173, VOL. 86] 



physiology, and especially in connection with 

 modern development of fisheries research. In tl 

 last direction it becomes increasingly evident tl 

 scientific investigations are imperative if the harve 

 of the sea is to be fully reaped and its resources to 

 maintained unimpaired for the future. But these if 

 vestigations, while, of course, directed largely to tfie! 

 solution of the problems presented by the fisheries, 

 must of necessity be founded on the broader basis of 

 general biological inquiry. Fresh-water stations are 

 likewise doing a sound work in regard to the problems 

 of pisciculture, restoring and improving the sanitary 

 conditions and food resources of the streams and 

 lakes with which they are associated. 



But apart from all economic problems, important 

 though they are, the purely scientific aspect of the 

 work of these stations wholly justifies their existence 

 and the claims they have upon the community, for, 

 to quote again from Prof. Kofoid's report, 



The biological station is a unique agency in biologicat 

 research, indispensable in the equipment of a nation for 

 the upbuildi.ng of leaders in biological teaching, and in the 

 development and e.Kpansion of the spirit of research. 



k WARM tribute to the value of the scientific work 

 carried through in the West Indies by the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture was paid by the Prime Minister, Mr. 

 Asquith, in a speech at a banquet given by the West 

 Indian Club on June 15. In the course of his remarks, 

 Mr. Asquith said : — " I desire to refer for a moment with 

 the warmest appreciation to the work of the Central 

 Department of Agriculture. Established in 1898 at the 

 cost of the Imperial Government, presided over with dis- 

 tinguished ability first by Sir Daniel Morris and now by 

 his successor. Dr. Watts, the work of that department is 

 universally and gratefully acknowledged by the planters to 

 be largely responsible for the improved state of affairs in 

 all branches of agriculture, and I believe — I speak with 

 some experience — it would be difficult to find a case in 

 which any analogous experiment made by the Home 

 Government has attained such speedy and satisfactory 

 results. The outlook is thus full of promise, and not the 

 less so by reason of the fact that the Panama Canal is 

 now approaching completion. The ultimate effects of that 

 great enterprise are, of course, at present incalculable, but 

 it can hardly be doubted that it will in the long run 

 favourably influence the economic progress of the West 

 Indies." It is seldom that such warm commendation is 

 given by a Minister, but the work that has been done 

 merits it fully. So long ago as 18S8, the value of 

 botanical federation in the West Indies was urged in these 

 ; columns, and several articles appeared relating to it and 

 I the starting of experiment stations and other aids to the 

 I development of the colonies. It is gratifying to find that 

 I after all the years which have elapsed since then the results 

 I are regarded with such satisfaction, not only by the 

 persons closely concerned with the West Indies, but also 

 . by statesmen in the mother country. 



j A MEETING was held at the Colonial Office on June 14 

 to discuss with representatives of the self-governing 

 Dominions and States a scheme for imperial coordina- 

 tion in the prevention of the spread of disease in agricul- 

 ture and horticulture, which it is proposed to organise in 

 connection with the Colonial Entomological Research 

 Committee. An ofUcial report states that Lord Cromer, 



' chairman of the Entomological Research Committee, ex 

 plained the proposals, the object of which is to establish 

 a central organisation in London for the transmission of 



