358 : 
NALORE 
[Marcu 17, 1923 

The New Marine Biological Research Station 
of the Bergen Museum. 
_For close upon one hundred years researches 
regarding marine fauna have been a prominent part 
of the work carried out by the Bergen Museum. 
The first biological station in Norway was built in 
the year of 1891 and was attached to the museum. 
On account, however, of the expansion of the city 
of Bergen, the pollution of the salt-water supply 
for the station gradually increased to such an extent 
that the biological work there had to be abandoned. 
By the generosity of private donors, who realised 
that the fine traditions of the maritime research 
work carried out at Bergen should be maintained, 
the Trustees of the Bergen Museum have been 
enabled to build a new station. The biological 
station (Fig. I) is now situated on the island of 
Herdla, about seventeen miles from Bergen. The 
station is thus right in the centre of one of the richest 
and most promising fields for research of the west 
coast of Norway, well known also through the 

Fic. 1.—Marine Biological Station at Herdla, seen from the fjord. 
investigations of such British naturalists as Norman, 
Jeffreys, Harmer, Punnett, and others. The open 
sea, the deep fjords, and the narrow sounds with 
their strong currents, offer here the most varied and 
changing conditions of life for marine fauna, which 
accordingly is extraordinarily rich and well repre- 
sented, 
Any biological condition typical of the west coast 
of Norway may be reached within less than two 
hours’ sail from the station. The salt-water supply 
is taken from a depth of approximately 25 metres, 
which guarantees salt water of excellent quality 
and without appreciable changes in temperature and 
salinity, Thus are present the best conditions for 
experimental and embryological research. 
The object of the station is to serve as a basis for 
scientific investigations, as well as for the inter- 
national courses in marine biology which were held 

kept open all the year round, and thus offers good 
opportunities for collecting material during the 
winter months. The station contains the necessary 
accommodation for housing naturalists visiting it. 
A 25-ton research vessel, the Heyman Friele, is 
attached to the station, and is equipped with 
appliances for research down to a depth of 1500 
metres. Moreover, the station is provided with a 
smaller open motor boat and various rowing-boats. 
By the opening up of this new station, facilities are 
afforded for utilising again the particularly favourable 
conditions for marine biological investigation offered 
by the west coast of Norway. I shall be glad to 
reply to any inquiries regarding the station or the 
reservation of tables. A. BRINKMANN. 
(Director.) 
Museet, Bergen, Norway. 

Industrial Applications of the Microscope. 
WHILE one reads with satisfaction in NATURE of 
February 17, p. 239, of the ever-increasing examples 
of the application of the 
microscope to industry, the 
fact remains that the use 
of the mineralogical micro- 
scope with the small amount 
of knowledge of crystal 
optics necessary has up to 
the present been practically 
disregarded. 
In 1918 a considerable 
amount of work was done in 
this connexion dealing par- 
ticularly with explosives, 
but the results were never 
published, and hence it is 
thought that the following 
example may be of interest. 
It was proved quite defin- 
itely at the Ardeer Factory 
of Nobel's Explosives Com- 
pany that the degree of 
nitration in guncotton and 
nitrocellulose could be 
ascertained directly by the 
optical properties of the 
product. Thus it was 
found that the birefringence 
of ordinary cotton fibre before nitration was strong 
and of a positive character. The same cotton after 
being fully nitrated showed strong birefringence but 
| of a negative character, while cotton with an inter- 
at the Bergen Museum for a number of years until | 
1914, and with a large participation from abroad. 
The station is open to naturalists of all nations. 
During the period in the summer when no courses 
are held, the station has tables for ten scientific 
workers besides the staff. During the winter there 
are tables for five only. Being situated close to the 
open sea, which never freezes, the station can be 
NO. 2785, VOL. 111 | 
mediate degree of nitration was shown to be practi- 
cally isotropic. 
It was found afterwards that a corresponding work 
had been carried out by Dr. Phil Hans Ambron in 
Germany, and he published a table giving the actual 
values and character of the birefringence of nitrated 
cellulose and also nitrated ramie or China grass. It 
is, of course, true that the degree of nitration can be 
obtained quicker and more accurately by means of a 
nitrometer, but the two lots of information differ 
widely. The nitrometer gives the average nitration 
of the whole sample while the microscope gives the 
actual nitration of separate fibres, and is therefore a 
valuable test of the homogeneity of the sample. 
During the War, when acetone was unobtainable, 
| a substitute had to be found as a solvent for nitrated 
cellulose in the making of cordite. Ether-alcohol 
was the substitute used. Now, while cellulose and 
almost any form of nitrated cellulose are soluble in 
acetone, ether-alcohol will only dissolve nitrated 
cellulose of a certain percentage nitration, and the 
homogeneous nitration of large samples of cotton was 
OE 
