t).— zootoov. 1^1 



marfeels from certain parts of the southern North Sea in the years 

 immediately before the war had ever spawned, is not only of great 

 interest, but gives rise to grave fears as to the possibility of unrestricted 

 fishing dangerously depleting the stock itself. There is, however, 

 another group of ideas sunx)unding the question of getting the maximum 

 amount of plaice-meat from the sea ; it may be that the best size for 

 catching is in reality below the smallest spawning size. I here merely 

 emphasise that in the plaice we have an instance of an impoitant food 

 fish whose capture it will probably be necessary to regulate, and that 

 in determining how best the stock may be conserved, what sizes should 

 receive partial protection, on what grounds fish congregate and why, 

 and in all the many cognate questions which arise, answers to either 

 can only be given by the aid of zoological science. 



But why multiply instances of the applications of zoology as a pure 

 science to human affairs? Great results are asked for on every side of 

 human activities. The zoologist, if he be given a chance to live and 

 to hand on his knowledge and experience to a generation of pupils, 

 can answer many of them. He is increasingly getting done with the 

 collection of anatomical facts, and he is turning more and more to the 

 why and how animals live. We may not know in our generation nor 

 in many generations what life is, but we can know enough to control 

 that life. The consideration of the fact that living matter and water 

 are universally associated opens up high possibilities. The experi- 

 mental reproduction of animals, without the interposition of the male, 

 is immensely interesting; where it will lead no on© can foretell. The 

 association of growth with the acidity and alkalinity of the water is a 

 matter of immediate practical importance, especially to fisheries. The 

 probability of dissolved food material in sea and river water, indepen- 

 dent of organised organic life and absorbable over the whole surfaces of 

 animals, is clearly before us. Is it possible that that dissolved material 

 may be even now being created in nature without the assistance of 

 organic life? The knowledge of the existence in food of vitamines, 

 making digestible and usable what in food would othei'wise be wasted, 

 may vi'ell result in economies of food that will for generations prevent the 

 necessity for the artificial restriction of populations. The parallel 

 between these vitamines and something in sea-water may quite soon 

 apply practically to the consideration of all life in the sea. Finally, 

 what we know of the living matter of germ cells puts before us the not 

 impossible hope that we may influence for the better the generations yet 

 to come. 



If it is the possibility in the unknown that makes a science, are 

 there not enough possibilities here? Does Zoology, with these prob- 

 lems before it, look like a decayed and worked-out science? Is it not 

 worthy to be ranked with any other science, and is it not worthy 

 of the highest support? Is it likely to show good value for the 

 money spent upon it? Should we not demand for it a Pi'ofessorial 

 Chair in every University that wishes to be regarded as an educational 

 institution? And has not the occupant of such a Chair a task at least 

 equal in difficulty to that of the occupant of any other Chair ? Surely 

 the zoologist may reasonably claim an equal position and pay to that 



