I04 



NATURE 



[November 24, 1910 



been accomplished elsewhere, as, indeed, much of it has 

 been continued. Of course, the medallists were all picked 

 men, who did not lightly embark on research demanding 

 much time and labour without a good deal of previous 

 consideration. I think it may be fairly concluded that 

 the provision of facilities with a sympathetic atmosphere 

 may h^ve operated as a determining influence. The final 

 moral of the story may be summed up as the " open 

 door." 



And this applies elsewhere. The mathematician only 

 requires his study. The physicist and the chemist are 

 rarely at a loss for opportunity of research. But the posi- 

 tion of the biologist is different. He must go to his 

 material. Such institutions, therefore, as the Rothamsted 

 Experimental Station,, the Plymouth Laboratory of the 

 Marine Biological Association, and the Biological Station 

 at Naples, are peculiarly deserving of public support. And 



the recognition it deserves. Fortunately, the utility of the 

 laboratory as a necessary element in the Kew establish- 

 ment has become sufficiently evident, and the keeper is 

 now a member of the paid staff. 

 Witcombe. VV. T. Thiselton-Dyer. 



Eel-larvse {Leptocephalus brevirostris) from the Cetitral 

 Noith Atlantic ^ 



In a previous article in Nature (November lo) I have 

 given some information about the expedition executed 

 by the steamer Michael Sars in the North Atlantic, from 

 April to August this year, under the superintendence of 

 Sir John Murray and myself. As would be seen from that 

 article, the expedition crossed the Atlantic twice, first 

 from the Canaries to Newfoundland, and then from New- 

 foundland to Ireland. During this cruise many hauls were 



Fig. I. — Chart showing places where eel-larvx were found, and the number caught. 



I think the story of the Jodrell Laboratory affords toler- 

 able ground for the presumption, if, indeed, other experi- 

 ence did not afford it, that the generosity of those who 

 have money to spare will not be fruitless in results if 

 extended to institutions of the kind. 



I cannot, however, omit to notice one piece of devoted 

 service to the interests of the laboratory which, of its 

 kind, is almost unique. A quarter of a century ago the 

 Government looked with more indifference on research 

 than happily it does at present. It merely acquiesced, 

 with little interest, in a laboratory being provided at Kew 

 from private funds. It was hopeless at the time to obtain 

 for it any public financial support. Posterity will almost 

 think it incredible that from 1892 to 1906 Kew should have 

 had to owe to the present president of the Linnean Society, 

 Dr. Dukinfield Scott, the unpaid performance of the duties 

 of keeper. Such unrequited devotion has scarcely received 



NO. 2143, VOL. 85] 



made with pelagic tow-nets and trawls. It is character- 

 istic of the manner of work that many nets and trawls 

 — as many as ten — were towed simultaneously during 

 several hours at each station. The nets and trawls were 

 fixed on the wire as .follows: one at the surface, the 

 others at 100, 200, 300, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 

 3000 metres. The very considerable number of pelagic 

 forms captured is now being examined. The material 

 includes several hundred Leptocephali belonging to many 

 different species. Among these are forty-four larvae of the 

 common eel (Leptocephalus brevirostris). The localities 

 where these were found are so interesting that a pre- 

 liminary note may be useful, as suggestive for further 

 investigation. 



The accompanying chart (Fig. i) shows the stations at 



1 Communication from the Michael Sars North Atlantic Deep-sea Expe- 

 dition, 1910. 



