490 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 222. 



work. The library contains about 1,500 volumes, 

 and it is not difficult to obtain books from else- 

 where when necessary. 



On the ground floor of the central portion of 

 the building is an aquarium well stocked from 

 the native fauna and open to the public for a 

 small fee. Above the aquarium is the main 

 Laboratory, a well-lighted and well-ventilated 

 room of moderate height, 70x34. The windows, 

 which are very large, are separated by parti- 

 tions about seven feet high, forming a series 

 of alcoves, each about ten feet square. Through 

 the center of the Laboratory runs a continuous 

 line of aquaria designed for experimental work. 

 The whole place is clean, orderly and well kept 

 (except, of course, my own alcove), and as good 

 a place for work as could be desired. Every 

 investigator is given a pass-key to the Labora- 

 tory, which is available for work day or night 

 and every day precisely as one wishes or as his 

 work requires. Smoking is allowed every- 

 where, which is a luxury to me, for you may re- 

 member that an occasional cigarette is neces- 

 sary for my health. 



The staff consists of three naturalists, includ- 

 ing the Director, and eight employees, such as 

 janitor, boatman. Laboratory Diener, etc. The 

 latter is well trained in the art of preserving 

 marine animals in the expanded condition, in 

 the art of mixing reagents, and the like. The 

 Laboratory is provided with a steamer about 60 

 feet long and with a sail-boat, both of which 

 are kept well employed collecting for the sup- 

 ply department, so that there is an abundant 

 supply of fresh material constantly brought in. 

 In the Official Eeports of the Laboratory stress 

 is naturally laid on its needs. Some with whom 

 I have talked have seemed to interpret these ap- 

 peals as signifying extreme poverty, and are sur- 

 prised accordingly to find an establishment so 

 well equipped. It is not, of course, perfect, but, 

 in my opinion, it is an excellent laboratory, ad- 

 mirably managed. 



In the university vacations the place, I am 

 told, is full of workers, but during the present 

 winter there have been in residence only the 

 three naturalists on the staff and three other in- 

 vestigators besides myself. 



I have read of the severe winter at home with 

 many chuckles of satisfaction that I am not in 



it, for, as you know, I have no affection for our 

 blizzards, and I am contented that they are un- 

 known here. The lowest temperature recorded 

 this winter at Plymouth was 29° F. on what 

 the newspapers called a ' bitter cold night,' and 

 the highest during January was 56°. As a rule, 

 it has beeu 45° or thereabouts. We have a good 

 deal of rain, but, by a fortunate meteorological 

 arrangement, it is rarely cold and stormy at the 

 same time. The south and southwest winds are 

 mild and rainy and the easterly and northerly 

 winds clear and cool. The winds are so tem- 

 pered that sheep graze in the public parks all 

 winter, while on tennis-courts, and on lawns 

 where sheep are not allowed, lawn-mowers 

 have been in constant use to keep the grass 

 under control. Many of the more hardy gar- 

 den plants bloom all winter, and the ivy and 

 numerous shrubs are luxuriant with greenness. 

 Spring is already at hand (February 17th), as is 

 apparent from the wild violets and primroses, 

 blossoms of which I have picked in the fields 

 this week. One day it snowed for two hours, 

 but at the end of that time there was no snow 

 to be seen, every flake having melted as it fell. 



Of course, the people exercise the right 

 of all free men to grumble at the weather, but 

 I have seen many climates which gave far more 

 cause for grumbling. There is a widspread im- 

 pression, which I suspect may be correct, that 

 the big storms here are hatched on our side of 

 the Atlantic and find their waj' across. When- 

 ever we get a good strong southwester people 

 say with an injured air, ' See how the Ameri- 

 cans treat us,' almost as if there were personal 

 spite in it. On the whole, the climate is to me 

 infinitely more agreeable than that of New 

 England. 



To sum it all up, Plymouth and its surround- 

 ings are beautiful ; the climate is (to me) agree- 

 able ; my family has been in most excellent 

 health all winter ; and, lastly, the Laboratory 

 is a most delightful place for work. 



THE DUPLICATION OF GEOLOGIC FORMATION 



NAMES. 



The custom of giving more or less local geo- 

 graphic names to geologic sub-divisions has be- 

 come so universal that we are even now dupli- 

 cating the use of such names to a considerable 



