Septembeb 11, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



331 



cwpy? Whether this formulary covers the 

 whole case or not, it certainly reaches a 

 good deal of it. 



Immediately we see the problem take 

 this form and resolve to tackle it on this 

 basis we notice it to be in unison with at 

 least two of the master principles under- 

 lying the soundest of progress in all phys- 

 ical science, viz., the principles of refined 

 quantitative treatment and of relativity. 

 I can make no real headway toward cor- 

 relating kind-differentials among organ- 

 isms with environmental-differentials with- 

 out some measure of quantitative accuracy 

 as to these differentials on both sides. If, 

 for example, I find that S. fusiformis- 

 runcinata flourishes equally well from the 

 surface down to 350 fathoms while S. 

 democratica-mucronata is never found 

 deeper than say 50 fathoms, and if I am 

 bent on finding out what there is, if any- 

 thing, in the difference between the two 

 animals that corresponds to the difference 

 between 50 and 350 fathoms, I must bring 

 these two sets of differences into an equa- 

 tion practically. This means that in order 

 to give such a form of expression the real 

 force of the mathematical equation, i. e., 

 to know that a known variable on one side 

 must have a corresponding variable on the 

 other, much, as a rule very much, quanti- 

 tatively accurate data on each side will be 

 necessary. And this means that a vast 

 amount of observing, of comparing, and of 

 measuring the animals themselves must be 

 done. Thus much belongs to my province 

 as a special student of these animals. 

 For the physical data on the other side I 

 am metaphorically as well as literally "all 

 at sea." Do the kinds of organisms 

 undergo their changes, reproductive, dis- 

 tributional, etc., which differ relatively to 

 each other, within practically the same 

 water, or is there different water cor- 

 responding to these changes 1 This calls 

 first of all for knowledge of currents, 



which knowledge it is the business of a 

 hydrographer to furnish. My own un- 

 aided attempts to get it would surely be 

 wanting in reliability and furthermore 

 would be made at the expense of time and 

 energy that ought to be more profitably 

 applied to tasks for which I am fitted. 



Again, facts relative to the temperature, 

 density and chemical composition of the 

 water must surely enter into the environ- 

 mental side of the equation. Who but a 

 professional physicist and a professional 

 chemist is fit to supply the data? The 

 food of these species must be determined 

 and at least some facts pertaining thereto 

 must enter into the reckoning. No one 

 but a specialist, perhaps several of them, 

 on the groups of minute organisms which 

 happen to constitute the dietary of salpa 

 can furnish these data. 



The long and short of all this is that it 

 is impossible for me to handle the problems 

 of species, distribution and adaptation of 

 salpa with any large measure of success 

 unless I can have the cooperation, not 

 haphazard and incidental, but designed and 

 sure, of specialists in several branches of 

 science. 



The object of this brief paper is to show 

 something of what the present year means 

 in the way of executing such a program at 

 the San Diego Station. 



The Alexander Agassiz is now ready to 

 do any sort of at-sea work that the present 

 main section of the program (planktology) 

 calls for within the bounds of the area set 

 off for investigation, i. e., the area com- 

 prising the continental shelf from Point 

 Conception southward to— Panama if 

 necessary. The area in which most of our 

 operations lie is about 15,000 square miles 

 in extent and has a maximum depth of a 

 little more than 1,000 fathoms. 



I mention only one important point the 

 craft has made during the summer con- 

 cerning water-movements. By anchoring 



