84 HEPORT — 1887. 



in every 'way, but never interfering with liis methods or theories until 

 asked for advice, while all the time interesting themselves in the work of 

 each individual ; a perfectly disciplined staff of servants and fishermen, 

 trained by the experience of years to supply all one's wants at the shortest 

 notice and to the fullest extent ; and a large library, excellent, so far as 

 zoology is concerned, if rather weak in botanical works. It may be said, 

 I believe it is said, ' we have zoological stations in England and Scotland : 

 why spend money on a Station established by foreigners in a foreign 

 country ? ' The answer is that it will be many years before the British 

 Stations can possibly attain to the perfection of the Naples one, if they 

 ever do ; directors and servants must acquire that experience in the 

 working detai's on which so largely depends the value of such a Station ; 

 a library must be gradually formed ; and in the meantime what are 

 Englishmen, who require to study in a well-appointed laboratoiy, to do ? 

 When we have as good, or nearly as good, a laboratory as the Naples one, 

 by all means let us give up our tables at Naples and spend the money on 

 our own Stations ; but till then let us retain our privilege of sending 

 men to study at a laboratory whose at present unrivalled advantages we 

 rather grudgingly, other nations more willingly and generously, admit. 

 We ought to have enough biologists in England to keep our Naples 

 tables filled, and yet have many to attend to the development and 

 improvement of our own Stations. Furthermore, the tropical luxuriance 

 of the Mediterranean fauna and flora must always be an inducement to 

 many Englisbmen to study at Naples as well as in their own country. 



I may have expressed myself I'atber strongly, but my reasons for doing 

 so are partly a feeling of injured national pride that England should have 

 only two tables and grudge the money for them, while Germany willingly 

 pays for about a dozen, and Italy, which Englishmen are wont to regard 

 as hardly more than semi-civilised, for about half that number ; but 

 mainly a vivid sense of the advantages I myself have derived from my 

 stay here. And if a botanist derives so much good, much more must a 

 zoologist, for the botanist has to contend with the disadvantage of a not 

 very good library, and the want of an assistant, and the zoologist has not. 

 In this connection I would remark that it is the fault of botanists them- 

 selves that the library is not better. If moi'e of them came, the library, 

 by the help of their suggestions, would soon improve. At present there 

 is no botanical assistant, for the same reason. I fancy that botanists 

 generally do not know that they are admitted willingly, even desired, at 

 this so-called Zoological Station. And they do not know, I think, of the 

 perfect freedom they would have in their work. While occupying a 

 table here, a man may work at the phanerogamic flora of the district, or 

 at freshwater algse, or marine algte, or all of them. There is absolutely 

 no restriction placed upon him. It is much to be desired that more 

 botanists should come to the Station, though a fair number of Germans 

 have been here, including two during part of this year. I believe I am 

 the first Englishman who has studied botanical questions at the Station, 

 but I hope I shall by no means be the last. 



In concluding this first report on my occupancy of the table of 

 the British Association, I wish to express my gratitude to the Committee 

 for nominating me, and for so long a period. I also wish to thank Pro- 

 fessor Dohrn, Dr. Eisig, Signer Lo Bianco, and the rest of the staff of 

 the Station for the constant courtesy and kindness I have experienced at 

 their hands, and for the help they have in many ways given me. 



