84 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 212. 



of time or to carry on experiments with 

 them in the field. Field work must consist 

 largely of collection, classification and scat- 

 tered observations ; more serious work must 

 be transferred to the laboratory. 



A most useful and important adjunct to 

 zoological teaching is an animal house, or 

 vivarium, in which may be found fresh and 

 salt-water aquaria ; terraria for small land 

 forms ; hives for bees, ants and other in- 

 sects ; rooms for various amphibia, reptiles, 

 birds and small mammals ; hatcheries for 

 the eggs of various vertebrates and inverte- 

 brates, and various appliances for the ex- 

 perimental study of living animals. Such 

 a vivarium might contain a synoptic col- 

 lection of living animals, worth vastlj' 

 more for teaching purjjoses than the or- 

 dinary museum or laboratory. Botanists 

 have long recognized the necessity of green- 

 houses for teaching purposes, aud the need 

 of having living material for study is quite 

 as great in zoology as in botany. Some 

 such vivarium is a necessity if zoology is 

 to be studied in any broad way. It is usual 

 in building laboratories to provide an ani- 

 mal room in some small, dark corner of the 

 cellar,while the whole of the building proper 

 is devoted to lecture rooms, laboratories 

 and museums. It is sad to think that such 

 a disposition of space represents the popu- 

 lar view of the importance of the study of 

 living animals. In a very important sense 

 a vivarium is the most essential part of any 

 laboratory of zoology, representing that for 

 which all the rest exists. In cases where it 

 is not possible to have a separate building 

 or large, well-lighted rooms for this purpose 

 a greenhouse and animal house could be 

 combined ; and in all cases a few well- 

 stocked ponds in the immediate vicinity of 

 the laboratory can usually be provided 

 without ti-ouble or expense, which will fur- 

 nish a never-failing supply of living ma- 

 terial. 



But under the most favorable circumstan- 



ces the number of living animals which can 

 be kept in or near the laboratory is not large; 

 for making extensive studies on large num- 

 bers of animals, recourse must be had to ex- 

 perimental farms and to marine and fresh- 

 water stations. Little has yet been done in 

 the way of establishing experimental farms 

 for purposes of pui-e science, though I believe 

 they are destined to play a very important 

 part in the development of our science in 

 the future, but the establishment of biolog- 

 ical stations has done more to advance the 

 study of zoology than any other one thing 

 in this generation. While the laboratory, 

 the vivarium and perhaps also the experi- 

 mental farm are things which each uni- 

 versity must provide for itself, the marine 

 and fresh-water stations can reach their 

 greatest usefulness through the cooperation 

 of many institutions. Without in any way 

 disparaging the work done by other stations 

 of a similar kind, I think it may truthfully 

 and modestly be said that the Woods Holl 

 Station, in the measure of cooperation which 

 it represents; in the close relations which 

 there exist between teaching and research, 

 and in the fullness with which the whole of 

 zoology is represented, has done more to ad- 

 vance the teaching of zoology in this country 

 than has any other institution or factor. 

 The professor of anatomy in one of our best 

 medical schools said to me a few days ago: 

 " In all my teaching I try to follow the 

 general methods employed in the classes at 

 the Woods Holl Laboratory ; those methods 

 are models of good teaching." If this can 

 be said for the teaching of human anatomy 

 how much more is it true of the studies 

 which are there directly represented. Some 

 of the greatest possible advances in teach- 

 ing zoology will be found in realizing in 

 every college and university the Woods 

 Holl ideal. 



Edwin G. Conklin. 



DsriVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



