A MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 457 



Of all our excursions during the season, those of most popular 

 interest were to the cays which were out in the Caribbean Sea, 

 two to ten miles from our laboratory. They may be described as 

 small islets jutting above the waves a few feet. Some were cov- 

 ered with mangrove bushes, others were of bare rock and sand, 

 over which large waves would break. By overturning stones in 

 the shallow water we found many interesting animals. Brittle 

 stars and sea baskets often shared their homes with spiny annalids 

 and coiling synaptas. Darting about among the rocks were little 

 rock crabs, young lobsters, and small shrimps. Beautiful sea 

 anemones and turbellarian worms were numerous upon the rocks. 

 Wading out a few steps into the deeper water we came to rich 

 coral formations ; and looking through a water glass we could see 

 as through an open window into these beautiful gardens under 

 the sea. There were massive brain corals (Meandrina) growing 

 in scattered groups, with other interesting species between ; clus- 

 ters of star corals (Astrcza) and branching stag-horns (Oculina) 

 covered large areas. In the clear, open spaces were exquisite sea 

 fans and sea feathers (Alcyonaria) waving their graceful forms to 

 and fro with the tide. The scene was made even more charming 

 when schools of beautifully colored coral fish, goldfish, and mul- 

 let swam in and out among the corals and into the open sea. A 

 poet has seen these quiet parlors of the fishes and thus described 

 them : 



" There with a light and easy motion 



The fan-coral sweeps through the clear deep sea, 

 And the yellow and scarlet tufts of ocean 



Are bending like corn on the upland lea, 

 And life in rare and beautiful forms 



Is sporting amid those bowers of stone ; 

 "Where the purple mullet and goldfish rove, 



"Where the waters murmur tranquilly, 

 Through the bending twigs of the coral grove." 



Any report of the Johns Hopkins Marine Laboratory in 

 Jamaica would be incomplete without mention of the kind hospi- 

 tality shown us by the citizens. Our party was cordially received 

 wherever it went ; and at the laboratory we were honored by calls 

 from chief officials residing in Spanish Town, Kingston, and Port 

 Royal. As a body of American students, we had the pleasure of 

 taking lunch at " The King's House " with Lady Blake, the gov- 

 ernor's wife. It was very gratifying to find the prominent citi- 

 zens of Jamaica enthusiastic in their encouragement of biological 

 research on the island. 



As to the results of the summer's work in the tropics, lit- 

 tle can be said at present that is final, since much of it is not 

 yet completed. A good quantity of valuable material was pre- 



TOL. XLIT. 35 



