302 



NA TURE 



iytdy 25, 1889 



underlie unconformably strata containing what he be- 

 lieved to be Lower Silurian fossils. It is not improbable, 

 however, that they belong to an older time than any of 

 the Cambrian rocks of Wales. 



That the red sandstones of the north-west of Scotland 

 were laid down in shallow water seems to be clearly 

 indicated by their current-bedding and ripple-marks, as 

 well as by the occurrence of bands of conglomerate 

 among them on many successive horizons. Yet they 

 retain these characters throughout a depth of some 

 10,000 feet. We can walk over their edges and count 

 every successive stratum for a thickness of more than 

 3000 feet along the sides of a single mountain. How, 

 then, could such a continuous mass of shallow- water 

 deposits be accumulated t 1 am not sure that any wholly 

 satisfactory answer can be given to this question, which 

 is one that arises in the investigation of various epochs of 

 geological history. That the basins must have been due 

 to local subsidence can hardly be doubted. We may 

 suppose that this downward movement continued at the 

 same time that the ridges which bounded the hollows 

 continued to be forced upward. New shore-lines would 

 thus be brought to the level of the water, and coarse 

 shingle might be swept down upon previously deposited 

 fine sediment. If occasionally the barrier between the 

 basins and the open sea were partially submerged, the 

 muddy ferruginous water of the inclosed tracts might be 

 cleared out, and the denizens of the sea might for a time 

 enter them. Possibly the grey and dark shales may 

 mark these irruptions of the ocean. 



That similar conditions of geography prevailed at that 

 period in the extreme north-west of Europe is indicated 

 by the fact that in Norway a group of red sandstones and 

 conglomerates, known as the " sparagmite rocks," is 

 interposed between the Archsean gneiss and the oldest 

 of the fossiliferous formations. In these Scandinavian 

 rocks we probably see traces of the extension of similar 

 inclosed water-basins along the eastern border of the 

 primaeval Atlantic Ocean northwards among the hollows 

 of the Archaean land. 



Before the next great geological period these basins 

 had been entirely effaced, and the geography of the 

 region had wholly changed. This transformation is 

 probably traceable to two causes. First, the terrestrial 

 movements which led to the formation and continuance 

 of the basins may in the end have caused their extinction 

 by raising them into land, and possibly at the same time 

 by folding and fissuring their accumulated deposits. 

 Secondly, as soon as these deposits, whether split open 

 or not, were exposed to the atmosphere they would begin 

 to be worn down. That erosion took place during a 

 prolonged period, and to a vast extent, is shown by the 

 fact that in some places the thick cake of sandstone was 

 hollowed out down to the Archeean platform below it 

 before the next succeeding formations were deposited. 

 Here again we are presented with a striking example of 

 the imperfection of the geological record. 



{To be continued.) 



THE PRIVA TE LABOR A TOR V OF MARINE 

 ZOOLOGY AT RAPALLO. 



nPHIS very modest zoological station does not in the 

 -^ least pretend to compete with the splendid ones of 

 Naples, Plymouth, Roscoff, Banyuls, &c. Considerable 

 sums are needed to build and keep up such establish- 

 ments, so that their numbers will necessarily be always 

 very limited. 



We have thought that with relatively little expense it 

 might be possible for zoologists to procure in great part 

 the advantages that these larger stations offer, and to 

 concur in their action, by establishing a certain number 

 of small stations on favourable spots of the Italian coast. 



Our idea is to have dependencies of the zoological 

 laboratories of the nearest Universities, almost as if parts 

 of those laboratories were transported to the sea-shore. 

 The cost of these stations would not be very great. 

 All that is strictly necessary is a room with good light, 

 and as near as possible to the sea. provided with small 

 aquariums, with the usual pump, with fishing apparatus, 

 and the ordinary furniture of every laboratory, except 

 microscopes and other costly instruments, which every 

 investigator would bring with him. The books also 

 might be reduced to the treatises and the " Faunae " ordi- 

 narily used. It is indispensable that the station should 

 possess at least one boat for short excursions : for deep 

 dredging, and for longer excursions that are less often 

 made, the necessary vessels could be hired. 



By these modest means notable results might be 

 obtained. Almost all anatomical and histological re- 

 searches would be possible, the inquirer either making 

 them entirely on the spot, or limitijig his work to the 

 first observations that ought to be made on specimens 

 freshly caught, and preparing the materials for later and 

 more leisurely study. 



Stations of this sort already exist abroad, such as the 

 laboratory of marine zoology of Wimereux, the Nether- 

 lands movable station, the station of Misaki in 

 Japan, &c. 



In Italy, Prof. Kleinenberg proposed to found a station 

 of this kind at Messina, but of greater proportions, 

 hoping that it might serve principally as a school for 

 beginners ; but unfortunately his idea has not yet been 

 realized. Neither has anything come of the project of 

 Count Alessandro Ninni to establish a station at Venice 

 that inight serve at the same time for purely scientific 

 researches, and for practical studies on the industrial 

 cultivation of sea animals. 



Convinced of the utility of small stations, we have 

 made an experiment in forming one which we will now 

 describe. 



Unwilling to go too far from Turin, we have chosen 

 the little town of Rapallo on the Eastern Riviera, near 

 Genoa. It is situated at the end of the gulf of the same 

 name, is one hour's distance by boat from Portofino, 

 that marks the extremity of the gulf towards Genoa. 

 The Gulf of Rapallo is pretty well sheltered from the 

 winds ; the shores are rather rocky, and vegetable and 

 animal life is very various and abundant. It also pre- 

 sents notable variations of depth. From Rapallo to the 

 extremity of the gulf, a distance of 4 kilometres, the depth 

 gradually reaches 90 metres, and at a like distance in the 

 open sea of Portofino, the depth is more than 400 metres. 

 The movement in the haven is limited, and hence the 

 waters even near the town are clear. As to the town, it 

 is beautifully situated, and the neighbouring places are 

 various and very pleasant. It is also a very quiet town, 

 where the greatest liberty can be enjoyed. 



Our station occupies a space of a hundred square 

 metres, and it is placed a few metres from the sea, on the 

 ground where the docks formerly stood. In this space, 

 inclosed by a wooden palisade, is the little building 

 which looks like a chalet, the lower part in brick-work, 

 with wooden walls and a roof covered with zinc. The 

 edifice consists of only one large room, 7 metres in length, 

 and 4"5o in width (inside). The height up to the wooden 

 ceiling, that is under the roof, is about 4 metres. One 

 of the longer walls is turned to the north. A window, 

 consisting of nine large divisions, runs the whole length of 

 this wall ; and against this wall is placed the working- 

 table, which also occupies the whole length ; at it 

 six persons can work. The door is on the shorter side 

 that looks on the sea ; over the door is placed the 

 reservoir of sea-water capable of containing more than 

 800 litres; it is filled by a small rotatory pump. By 

 means of pipes the water is brought from this reservoir 

 into the aquariums that are placed in the middle of the 



