FOUNDATION OF ZOOLOGICAL STATIONS. 409 



of the Scandinavian kingdoms, but has as yet led to no definite result. The 

 case with respect to Switzerland and Saxony has been similar ; but hopes are 

 entertained that these countries may join the others in their endeavour to 

 support the Zoological Station, and to afford every facility to their naturalists 

 of profiting by this new and powerful instrument of investigation. 



Dr. Dohrn thinks it desirable to explain once more the leading ideas that 

 have induced him to request the assistance of all these Governments and 

 Universities. 



The Zoological Station has sprung up altogether in consequence of the 

 desire to facilitate investigation in marine zoology, and to enable naturalists 

 to pursue their studies in the most effective manner and with the greatest 

 possible economy of money, time, and energy. All zoologists who have 

 visited Naples during the "last year (amongst whom have been Professors 

 Gegenbaur, Glaus, Oscar Schmidt, and Pagenstiicher) consider that this end 

 will be fully attained by the organization and arrangements made or intended 

 to be made in the station. They all agree that it is in the highest degree 

 desirable that nobody who cares at all for the progress of zoology should fail 

 to join Dr. Dohrn's exertions in bringing about a universal participation in 

 the expense of keeping up the new establishment ; and thus it is due to Pro- 

 fessor Oscar Schmidt's influence that the Imperial Government at Berlin have 

 hired a table for the University of Strasburg, and to the initiative of Pro- 

 fessor Pagenstacher that the Grand Duchy of Baden has also taken one table, 

 whilst Professor Claus has promised his best services to induce the Austrian 

 Government to take a similar step. 



As is, we believe, universally known, no money-speculation whatever is 

 contemplated by the founder of the Naples Station, in so far as money specu- 

 lation means a high interest and the return of the capital invested into the 

 pocket of the founder. Nevertheless, every honest means will be used to 

 procure as large an income as possible, for more than one reason. There is 

 not only the necessity incumbent upon the establishment to repay some of the 

 capital to those who have lent money to Dr. Dohrn, in order that he might 

 complete the building in its actual enlarged state (a task for which his own 

 means would not have sufficed in spite of the German Government's subsidy), 

 but, further, there must be provided reserve-funds for the eventuality that the 

 income of the aquarium may not cover the outlay for the year's manage- 

 ment, thus causing a sudden stand-still of the establishment : and last, but 

 not least, it is intended to have every year a certain sum to spend for scien- 

 tific pursuits. If, for instance. Professor du Bois Eeymond, as he has ex- 

 pressed to Dr. Dohrn his wish to do, should proceed to Naples to carry 

 on experiments on the electric Torpedo, it would require no inconsider- 

 able means to buy the necessary apparatus and physiological instruments, 

 and to provide this famous physiologist every day with fresh material to 

 conduct his investigations on a scale large enough to yield a distinct result. 

 Or to enable embryologists to carry on an investigation on Comparative 

 Selacliian embryology, it would be necessary to buy large quantities of feraale 

 sharks and skates, which are by no means so cheap as a foreigner might 

 think. And for conducting researches well and accurately, every naturalist 

 knows what an amount of money must be spent in dredging-expeditions, how 

 much trouble, how much time and work arc necessary to get at the animals 

 and to determine their identity or non-identity with the known and described 

 species. And this is one of the foremost duties which tbe Zoological Station 

 will propose to itself, as it is too well known how great a confusion exists 

 with regard to systematic and zoological questions of the Mediterranean 



