ON THE ZOOLOGICAL STATION AT NAPLES. 365 



Report of the Committee, consisting of Dr. P. L. Scl vtek, Professor 

 Kay Lankestek, Professor Cossar Ewart, Professor M. Foster, 

 Mr. A. Sedgwick, Professor A. M. jMarshall, and Mr. Percy 

 Sladen (Secretary), nortiinated for the purpose of arranging 

 for the Occupation of a Table at the Zoological Station at 

 Naples. 



[Ordered to be printed among the Reports.] 



The Committee regret to report that at the last meeting of the Association 

 held in Leeds the Committee of Recommendations did not sanction the 

 grant approved by the Committee of Section D for the use of a table at 

 the Naples Zoological Station. A communication, signed by the President 

 of the Section, was addressed to the President of the Association, by whom 

 it was read at the last meeting of the General Committee, expressing the 

 disappointment felt by the Committee of Section D at the decision of the 

 Committee of Recommendations, and pointing out that in their opinion the 

 cessation of the grant would act as a serious discouragement to biological 

 investigation, and would place British naturalists at a great disadvantage. 



Fortunately the Committee have not been deprived of the privilege 

 of nominating workers to occupy a table during the past year at the Naples 

 Zoological Station, Captain Noble, the President of Section G, having 

 generously given lOOZ. for the purpose of maintaining a table as in previous 

 years, an offer which the Genei-al Committee authorised the Committee to 

 take advantage of. The Committee desire to express their high apprecia- 

 tion of Captain Noble's singular liberality, and to place on record their 

 indebtedness to him for rescuing British biologists from the unenviable 

 position in which, but for his generosity, they Avould have been placed. 



The Committee beg to direct the attention of the Association to the 

 fact that three applications from competent workers for permission to use 

 the table had been received by the Committee when they applied for the 

 renewal of the grant at Leeds ; and that for the last four years applica- 

 tions have always been in the possession of the Committee to justify their 

 recommending the continuance of the grant, and they would, therefore, 

 respectfully submit to the Association that the grout has in no case been 

 applied for without a definite purpose, and to assist a specific object of 

 research. 



The Committee trust that the Association will sanction the payment 

 of the grant of lOOZ., as in previous years, for the hire of a table in the 

 Zoological Station at Naples ; and they strongly recommend the con- 

 tinuance of this grant as a means of affording to British naturalists advan- 

 tages for prosecuting research which are unobtainable elsewhere. 



The Committee have received an application for permission to use the 

 table from Mr. Arthur Willey, who proposes to make a special series of 

 investigations on the Ascidians, which will occupy him from the end of 

 September, through the winter and spring of next year, and the Com- 

 mittee express the hope that the Association will enable them to sanction 

 this application. 



Two gentlemen have occupied the table during the j^ast year, Mr. 

 "NVilliam R, Melly and Mr. Edward J. Bles, and their reports upon the 

 nature of the work undertaken are appended. The Committee would 



