144 University of California Publications in Zoology (Vou. 9 
C. THE GENERAL IDEA—ITS INCEPTION AND 
DEVELOPMENT 
The original ideas out of which the station grew though not 
lacking in positiveness were little differentiated. In 1891 when 
the scientific director took his place in the newly inaugurated 
subdepartment of biology in the University of California, the 
question of marine zoology at once presented itself. Imperfectly 
as had any of the fields of zoology of western America been 
cultivated, the least studied of all had been the teeming life of 
the great ocean on whose margin the University is located. This 
consideration was of itself a strong incentive to marine investi- 
gations. When in addition it was reflected that this field was 
not only practically virgin but was so set apart and unique in 
various ways as to warrant the expectation that it would yield 
richly in both new problems and new light on old problems, 
there was little hesitation in deciding that the chief effort in 
research should be in this domain. So it came about that most 
of the investigations earried on by the department of zoology 
from that day to this have pertained to the life of the Pacific 
Ocean. 
Exactly what form the effort should take was not clearly 
indicated either from special familiarity with the most promising 
problems of marine biology nor from distinctly recognized expe- 
dieney as to practicable undertakings. One thing was clear: 
no great headway, in a proper zoological sense, could be made 
without obtaining a far wider speaking acquaintance with the 
fauna of the region than any one had yet attained. A large 
amount of work in systematic zoology would have to be done at 
the outset. 
The reasons that justified turning away from the great Bay 
of San Francisco, the very dooryard of the University, and 
finally choosing a location for the station six hundred miles dis- 
tant, were partly recognized and partly not recognized. It is 
always instructive to look back upon any development and notice 
how, with whatever of deliberation it may have been carried 
